Usain Bolt’s quest to become a professional footballer appears to have run its course, with the former Jamaican sprinter saying his “sports life is over”.
The eight-time Olympic champion walked out on his two-month trial with A-League strugglers Central Coast last year and admitted not everything about his pursuit for a professional contract was well thought out.
The 32-year-old gave it a shot, but in the end was unable to prove himself in the top flight after a string of failed trials across the world.
With the taste for showing off his ball skills Bolt tried out with Norwegian team Stromsgodset and South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, but was deemed surplus to requirements by both.
Before Christmas there was the possibility that he would join Maradona in Mexico but Dorados narrowly missed out on promotion from the 2nd Division, and Bolt refused to play ball unless he was in the spotlight at the highest level of club football.
Also the fact that Bolt demanded a lucrative deal to compete, despite having no track record of success as a footballer, was always going to be a major hurdle across the globe.
“I don’t want to say it wasn’t dealt with properly, but I think we went about it, not the way we should,” he said.
“It was a good experience. I really enjoyed just being in a team and it was different from track and field and it was fun while it lasted.
The 32-year-old was unable to agree a contract with the Mariners but did manage to score two goals in a trial match against a Macarthur South West United side before his time in Australia came to an end.
The Jamaican said his focus now was on his business endeavours.
“I’m just doing many different things … the sports life is over, so I’m now moving into different businesses, I have a lot of things in the pipeline, so as I say, I’m just dabbling in everything and trying to be a business man now,” he said.
