George Weah Made His Return to Football in the Liberia vs Nigeria Game

George Weah, Liberia's current president and former international football star, made an unexpected return to a professional football match at age 51.

Weah, who was the first African player the win Ballon d'Or and FIFA's World Player of the Year Award, shocked fans when he led the Liberian national team onto the pitch. The game had been arranged to honor him and retire his number 14 shirt.

It had been 16 years since Weah's last international football appearance and months after his presidential inauguration.

Reports state that Weah "showed glimpses of the class that made him a household name around the world" and that he received a standing ovation when he was substituted at the 79th minute.

The game, which was played in Monrovia, ended as a 2-1 win for the Super Eagles with Nigerian goals from Henry Onyekuru and Simeon Nwankwo before the home team scored in a penalty taken by Kpah Sherman.

While many were happy to see him back on the pitch, the match brought up a few negative reactions.

"The match stirred divergent reactions from Nigerians, who wondered why President George Weah and his old team mate, James Debbah played in the international friendly," writes Nigeria's Daily Post. "Some... wondered why Coach Gernot Rohr did not include President Buhari in his squad since his Liberian counterpart, Weah was on the pitch."

Check out some of the diverging social media reactions below.