Christopher Wreh
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Christopher Wreh | ||
Personal information | ||
---|---|---|
Full name | Christopher Wreh | |
Date of birth | December 29, 1975 | |
Place of birth | Monrovia, Liberia | |
Playing position | Striker | |
Club information | ||
Current club | Perseman Manokwari | |
Senior clubs1 | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1993–1997 1996–1997 1997–2000 1999 1999 2000 2000–2001 2001 2001–2002 2003–2004 2004 2007– |
Monaco → Guingamp (loan) Arsenal → AEK Athens (loan) → Birmingham City (loan) → Den Bosch (loan) Al-Hilal Bournemouth St. Mirren Bishop's Stortford Buckingham Town Perseman Manokwari |
15 (3) 33 (10) 28 (3) 11 (4) 7 (1) 7 (2) ? (?) ? (?) 3 (0) ? (?) ? (?) |
National team2 | ||
1995–2002 | Liberia | 36 (11) |
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
Christopher Wreh (born May 14, 1975 in Monrovia) is a Liberian footballer.
A cousin of former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah, Wreh first played for Liberian clubs Young Kotoko, La Modelle International and Invincible Eleven, before being snapped up by French side AS Monaco as a youth in 1989. A centre forward, Wreh was mainly on the fringes of the Monaco side, and spent a period on loan at Guingamp, where he played in the 1997 Coupe de France final (which Guingamp lost on penalties). In the meantime, Wreh had made his debut for Liberia in 1995, and would go on to win 36 caps for his country, scoring 11 goals.
Wreh's contract expired in the summer of 1997, and he moved on a Bosman free transfer to English club Arsenal, linking up with his former boss at Monaco, Arsène Wenger. Although fourth choice behind Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka, Wreh still played an important part in the Gunners' Double winning season of 1997-98, scoring in vital 1-0 Premier League wins against Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers, and scoring the only goal of the Gunners' FA Cup semi-final win over Wolves. Wreh went on to play in the FA Cup final, although he didn't score, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2-0.
Despite scoring in the Charity Shield against Manchester United, Wreh couldn't sustain his previous form and he played fewer and fewer games; after the arrival of Thierry Henry and Davor Šuker at the club in 1999 he was squeezed out altogether. He had brief loan spells with Birmingham City, AEK Athens and Den Bosch, but none of these were made permanent. He left Arsenal in 2000, having scored 5 times in 46 matches (most of them as substitute).
Wreh's career never reached the same heights as it had at Arsenal, as he became somewhat of a journeyman footballer. He initially signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, then returned to the UK in 2001 with brief stints at Bournemouth and St Mirren, but fitness problems meant he rarely got a game. After trying his luck at Bishop's Stortford, he played for United Counties League side Buckingham Town.
In 2005, Wreh retired from football to concentrate on a musical career with his band 'Soul Rebels', who were touring Europe.
In 2007, he returned to football, signing for Perseman Manokwari of the Indonesian Football League.[1][2]