He may have just made history following his 100m victory in the Olympics, yet Usain Bolt is setting his sights on a completely different sport. The world’s fastest man claims that he is desperate to play for Manchester United, stating that he is a “very accomplished” player.
Bolt has already had some past association with United, after performing some sprint work with Cristiano Ronaldo several years ago. It now appears as though the sprinter wants to take this slightly further, telling reporters, “If Alex Ferguson called me up and said, ‘OK, let’s do this, come and have a trial and see if you are good enough’ it would be impossible for me to say ‘no’. I would not take up the challenge if I didn’t think I was good enough. I am a very accomplished player and know I could make a difference. I would be the fastest player in the team — but I can play as well.”
Already, Bolt’s comments have caught the attention of several of United’s players. Wayne Rooney, obviously worried about the competition, appeared quite sceptical about the idea and believes that the sprinter should “stick to the track”. However, Rio Ferdinand thinks differently, with the defender telling Bolt that he can try and organise a trial at the club. Writing on his Twitter page, Ferdinand stated, “@usainbolt if you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I’ll speak to the boss!!”
While Bolt’s comments are unlikely to be taken seriously, it would not be the first time a sprinter has changed their sport. Dwain Chambers famously turned to American football in 2006, while Adam Gemili actually started as a professional footballer for Dagenham & Redbridge before switching to athletics. Suffice to say, both men tasted more success on the track – and the same would probably occur for Bolt.