Usain Bolt appears to have hung up the cleats, just a few months after first donning them.
The world-record holder sprinter from Jamaica, who grew up playing soccer and is a self-confessed obsessive, has reportedly given up on his pursuit of becoming a professional soccer player, according to the BBC.
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“It was fun while it lasted,” Bolt said. “I don’t want to say it wasn’t dealt with properly, but I think we went about it not the way we should. You live and you learn. It was a good experience - I really enjoyed just being in a team.”
The 31-year-old scored a pair of goals in a friendly match last October with the Central Coast Mariners of Australia’s A-League, and had a chance to sign with a club in Malta, but turned it down due, reportedly due to wage demands. Central Coast never ended up signing Bolt to a full-time contract either.
The news ends a celebrity stint that looked doomed from the start. For nearly every professional athlete, they spend years and years focusing and practicing their craft. It would have been difficult for Bolt, who didn’t play regularly in his 20s, to step right into a professional side, have a great first touch and put that speed of his over short distances to work. Ultimately, he gave it a go, and it was probably the right time to move on and focus on other ventures.