Dulee: The rising star

The average Liberian football watcher will not be surprise about the phenomenal rise of talented midfielder Dulee Johnson. The 24-year-old star inherited the genes of one of the country's topmost football profiles.
 
His father Josiah N. Johnson, for many years, was one of the best footballers on the Liberian national team, the Lone star, before going on to coach the team for almost ten years.
 
So Dulee grew up around football. When he later joined the George Weah-sponsored Junior Professionals at a tender age and scored the goals that saw the club winning the Liberian first division championship many believed that a new star was on the horizon.
 
To harness his raw football talents, the young striker was later sent to the prestigious Goldfields football academy in Ghana where he was schooled in the art of modern football.
 
Most valuable player

The youngster, who was to later be twice named as the most valuable player in Sweden's Gothia youth Cup, won the admiration of the legendary football star George Weah, then playing for Italian giants AC Milan.
 
Weah, who became Europe, Africa and World Best Player in 1995, took Dulee to the club's youth outfit.
 
But it was his performances during the Gothia Cup in Sweden that caught the attention of the world.  He was head and shoulders above the rest and mesmerized spectators. A local third division side Floda Boif saw the gem and signed him on.  A year later Floda gained promotion to the next level thanks to the goals of the young Liberian.
 
Then premiership club BK Hacken came knocking. This after the player had featured in a friendly against Italian side Lazio for Swedish side GAIS at the massive Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg.
 
Dulee’s first season with Hacken was one not to write home about as the team faced the drop. But Hacken was soon to bounce back winning the first division. Dulee played a pivotal role in that successful campaign in his new role as a midfielder.
 
When he featured for Liberia at the 2002 African Cup of Nations on a team led by Weah, Dulee was the youngest at the tourney. That he was part of that team speaks a lot about the talents of the young player.
 
After five seasons at Hacken, he felt that it was time to make a change and opted to make a switch to AIK Solna, one of Sweden's biggest club, in 2006. AIK was just returning to the top flight after spending a year in the first division.  Dulee joined an ambitious club with a lot of youthful players, many of which had never tasted big time football.
 
The offensive central midfielder with more than 200 Swedish premiership matches under his belt at the age of 21 was one of the most experienced players in the youthful side.
 
Joining AIK presented a challenge which the player met head-on.
 
Best player

It is a fact that Dulee was AIK best player in 2006. He was named player-of-the month two times and described as one of the most creative players in the league by Swedish commentators.
 
Dulee's mastery touch and fighting spirit in AIK midfield were determining factors in a wonderful season for a club which pundits had predicted would end up in midtable after the championship.
 
AIK placed second in the championship just one point behind winners Elfsborg. The team thus qualified for the UEFA Cup and the Scandinavian Royal League.
 
In summer 2008, he made a giant switch from Europe to Asia. He signed on to Israeli big club Maccabi Tel Aviv. In his first season he won the prestigious Toto Cup for the club and hopes to win the league while in Israel. 

The young midfielder hopes to take his talents to a bigger stage.
 
With such a wealth of experience which include over 200 Swedish premiership matches, ten full international matches at senior level for Liberia and also stints at the U-16 and the U-21 levels, Dulee is ready to take on the world.