Usain Bolt is set to try his hand at football again, joining Wythenshawe in the seventh tier of the English football league just one day after celebrating his 40th birthday.
The Jamaican athletics legend announced that he would play for the English club, offering another glimpse of his ambitions in a sport he has repeatedly attempted to pursue after establishing himself as one of the greatest sprinters in history.
Bolt’s preferred destination would be Manchester United, the club he supports, although this latest move will take him to a very different level of the English game. Wythenshawe do not have the profile or global reach of United, but the move will nevertheless place Bolt in a dressing room containing several players with significant Premier League experience.
Among those expected to play for the club alongside Bolt are Mark Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater, who were members of Leicester City’s celebrated title-winning side. Leicester’s achievement remains one of the most remarkable successes in English football, and the presence of two of its former players adds considerable name recognition to the Wythenshawe team.
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott is also listed among the players involved, as is Antonio Valencia. Valencia enjoyed a prominent career at Manchester United, meaning Bolt will be joined by a player connected with the club he has supported.
The announcement came on 22 August, a day after Bolt turned 40 on 21 August. His decision to appear for Wythenshawe means he will once again test himself in football, having previously made clear his interest in moving from athletics into the sport.
His standing in athletics is beyond dispute. Bolt is regarded as a legendary sprinter, but football has remained a separate sporting ambition for the Jamaican. The Wythenshawe appearance will therefore provide another opportunity for him to pursue that interest, this time in England’s seventh-tier football.
The move is notable not only because of Bolt’s fame, but also because of the collection of former Premier League players named alongside him. Albrighton and Drinkwater were associated with Leicester City’s historic championship team, while Lescott represented Manchester City and Valencia Manchester United.
For Wythenshawe, the arrival of such well-known figures gives the club an unusual link to the highest levels of English football. For Bolt, it represents another step into the game he has followed while supporting Manchester United.
He will not be wearing United’s shirt, but his next footballing venture will still take place in England and alongside players whose careers have included some of the country’s biggest clubs.
