Usain Bolt confirms he'll play at Man Utd

Stuart Telford

• 21 Apr 2023 16:46 BST
• 3 min read

Usain Bolt had a trial at Borussia Dortmund after bringing his athletics career to a close, and now the world's fastest man has a date at Old Trafford with Manchester United.

Bolt retired from competitive athletics in 2017 as an eight-time Olympic gold medallist who to this day holds the world record in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100 metres relay.

Whilst still an incredible athlete when he went for his trial with Dortmund in 2018, the Jamaican didn't have a professional level of technique or game-intelligence to make it at the top level in a second sport.

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He remains a big fan of football, however, and is a self-confessed supporter of Manchester United. Bolt will be at Old Trafford this summer - for charity purposes.

"I only play football, once a week with friends, just for fun," he told French sports daily l'Equipe on Friday. "And then we brag all week! We rarely play competitively, though.

"But now I really need to get back in shape for Soccer Aid in Manchester in June. I have a plan for that: go to the gym regularly, play football once a week, hit the track twice a week, do laps to regain lung capacity and hope to last 90 minute!"

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Bolt has been following United's progress under Erik ten Hag closely this season and admits that he would be more excited at seeing the Red Devils win the Premier League for the first time since 2013 than watching the Olympics in Paris next year.

Bolt: 'sign Mbappe… or Kane!'

He thinks United are a striker away from making that dream a reality, and has an opinion on whom the Red Devils should sign next summer - if not him!

"Kylian Mbappe isn't Erling Haaland, whose game was able to adapt quickly to the Premier League… [but] he'd be eagerly awaited and marked very tight by defenders, he'd have less space. But he's such a player!

"I don't know. Maybe we need a pure centre-forward. Maybe Harry Kane. He's incredibly consistent. It's crazy to score more than 20 goals per season knowing that he'll never win the title if he stays at Tottenham."