Liberian icon George Weah, the first and only African to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or, has opened up about the bittersweet memories surrounding his historic achievement. While the 1995 award crowned him as the world’s best player, Weah revealed that racism cast a dark shadow over what should have been a moment of pure pride.

“I can’t say I am proud of the Ballon d’Or because of what I endured,” Weah recalled. “The morning after my win, the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport screamed, ‘And oh, the black wins the gold.’ Even inside AC Milan, there were cruel jokes about me and about Africa. They mocked, asking, ‘Did you sell it to buy bread?’”

Weah pointed out that the struggle went beyond his own experience. “Didier Drogba won everything with Chelsea, Samuel Eto’o won everything with Barcelona and Inter—but did they ever give them the gold? No. Why? Because many still lack the humanity to honor black African players,” he said.

For Weah, the true measure of greatness isn’t a trophy. “Gold is not a ball handed to the best,” he concluded. “Real gold is having a good heart and never hurting others. The sad truth is that some people possess racism, but not humanity.”