Will eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt lace up his football boots once more?
Speculation swirled after the 40-year-old Jamaican superstar was shown as registered to play for Wythenshawe Vets FC – an over-35s team based in Manchester, England – on the Football Association’s Full-Time website on Friday, 21 August.
The club has attracted many high profile players looking to stay active after their professional careers in recent years, with England striker Emile Heskey, former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia and Premier League champions Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater among those set to play for the veteran’s side this season.
While the team has yet to officially confirm Bolt as part of their squad this season, the move seems plausible for the 100m world record holder, who turned his attention to professional football after retiring from track and field following the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
Having scored two goals during a friendly for Australian A-League team Central Coast Mariners in 2018, Bolt signed a professional contract with the Southern Hemisphere club, before leaving the team just eight weeks later, ultimately hanging up his boots in early 2019.
Asked what advice he’d give to young players hoping to be the best in the world by FIFA in 2017, Bolt replied, “Choose the right people to have around you and advise you, be determined, work hard, believe in yourself, success doesn’t always come overnight so be consistent and the results will come. I have a motto: ‘Anything is possible’.”
Perhaps that motto is now best applied to those hoping to see Bolt back on the field of play, where he’s always been one of sport’s best ambassadors and showmen.
