Usain Bolt — one of the most decorated Olympic athletes of all time — will have a trial with Borussia Dortmund. From there, he might launch a soccer career.
Usain Bolt is a household name to anyone who has paid any attention at all to the Summer Olympic events that have occurred in the last decade. The Jamaican sprinter is the first athlete to hold the world record for the 100 meters and 200 meters sprint. He also holds the world record as part of the 4×100 meter relay and has eight Olympic gold medals. These accomplishments make Bolt the greatest sprinter of all time.
However, Bolt is 31 years old now and retired as a professional athlete at the end of his 2017 season, when he suffered a hamstring injury in his last event.
It has been known for some time now that Bolt is interested in other sports outside of track. He has claimed that his first love was Cricket, and he would’ve been a fast bowler if he wasn’t a sprinter.
In 2013, Bolt participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star game at All-Star Weekend and scored two-points via a slam dunk, which was about all he could do on the court. Bolt also admitted to that, so maybe he isn’t delusional.
The other sport that Bolt is interested in is soccer. He has said he’s a fan of the Premier League and supports Manchester United. (If eight gold medals aren’t enough to stop someone from becoming a glory-hunting supporter, then what is?) He was a special guest for the club at the 2011 Champions League final, where he said he’d like to play for them after his retirement.
Good joke, right? Well, maybe not.
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Bundesliga released a report today that Bolt will have a trial with Borussia Dortmund in March. The club stated this back in 2016, but again, many thought it was a joke.
Bolt to the Bundesliga? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/NaHbKT7jjI
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) January 9, 2018
It’s clear now that the club weren’t joking, and neither was Bolt. “If they say I’m good, and that I need a bit of training, I’ll do it,” Bolt told the Daily Express.
Look, we’re lucky to have watched prime Bolt in our lifetimes and we all admire his athletic achievements, but starting a soccer career with a Champions League club at age 31? That’s a step too far, even for Usain Bolt.