Usain Bolt Is A Soccer Player Now And He's Actually Not Terrible
credits: Cameron Spencer | source: Getty Usain Bolt may have retired from track, but he hasn’t given up sports entirely. He is currently signed to a trial contract with the Central Coast Mariners, an Australia A-League team, trying to realize his dream of becoming a pro soccer player. He made his official debut in a preseason friendly last night, and surprisingly he wasn’t complete garbage:
His performance wasn’t exactly good, of course—his first touch is bumpy as hell—and he currently has and probably never will attain the skill necessary to be a legitimate pro player. He does seem extremely serious about making it in soccer, though, and as the highlight comp above shows, he doesn’t look totally lost out there.
And there is an even bigger reason to hope his dream becomes reality. While his gifts with the ball might not amount to much, Bolt’s enormous fame and the attention it commands could very well earn him a roster spot with CCM. In the friendly match—played against the Central Coast Select, which is a one-off all-star team of sorts assembled from players in a local amateur league—CCM drew 10,000 fans to the stadium for a match broadcasted in 47 countries. Considering the Mariners’ regular season attendance average was only 7,000, the paying customers Bolt’s presence would pile up might make his minuscule goal haul more than worth it.
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