Bolt arrives in Australia on football quest

Author: AFP

Usain Bolt says he’s deadly serious about becoming a professional footballer and plans to show the world what he’s capable of after arriving in Australia Saturday for a trial stint with an A-League club.

The superstar athlete has been given the chance to prove his worth by the Central Coast Mariners, who have agreed to let him train with the team indefinitely in his pursuit of a playing contract.

They hope to turn him into A-League material in time for the start of the 2018/19 season in late October.

Bolt, wearing a Mariners scarf, was met by a media scrum at Sydney airport and said he would push himself hard to make the grade.

“I always put my best foot forward and I’m going to show the world what I’m made of,” he said.

“This is real,” added the 31-year-old when asked if it was simply a stunt.

“I’ve said since my last season of track and field that I want to play football and I know what I can do.

“I’m grateful to the Mariners for giving me the opportunity and am happy to call Australia home for now.”

Bolt has already tried out with teams in Germany, Norway and South Africa, to no avail, since retiring from athletics last year.

Despite being an eight-time Olympic champion and the fastest man on earth, he admitted to being nervous about what lay ahead in the small town of Gosford, 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Sydney, where the club is based.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Lifestyle

Salman Khan faces new death threat, Mumbai police investigate

  Bollywood star Salman Khan has received another death threat, according to Mumbai police. The…

1 min ago
  • World

Trump blames Zelensky for Ukraine war amid recent missile attack

Former US President Donald Trump recently criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, blaming him for the…

5 mins ago
  • Pakistan

Court grants Imran Khan’s request for medical check-up and child phone calls

A special court in Islamabad has granted two requests from Imran Khan, the founder of…

10 mins ago
  • Pakistan

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi elevated to Supreme court by President Asif Ali Zardari

On Tuesday, President Asif Ali Zardari designated Justice Ali Baqar Najafi as a judge of…

17 mins ago
  • Lifestyle

Millennials: the most educated yet financially strapped generation

Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are the most educated generation in U.S. history. About…

17 mins ago
  • Sports

Shoaib Akhtar proposes new PSL franchise for Rawalpindi

Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has made an exciting proposal to the Pakistan Cricket…

25 mins ago