Athletics legend Usain Bolt has been offered a two-year professional football contract by top Maltese club Valletta FC, according to reports on Tuesday.
Bolt has been on trial with Australian A-League team Central Coast Mariners since August, as he pushes to fulfill his childhood dream of being a professional footballer.
Maltese club Valletta FC says they have approached the Sprint legend with a contract offer which includes a chance to feature in the upcoming domestic cup final.
Club chief Ghasston Slimen insists the move to sign Bolt is “about writing history”
“Usain Bolt broke the record in Beijing (Olympics) in 2008, and I have followed him for the last year-and-a-half on his football journey,” Slimen told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“We play the final of the Super Cup on December 13, which we will win… so can you imagine Usain Bolt lifting the Super Cup trophy 10 years after he broke the record in Beijing?
“This isn’t about money, this is about history. This is something that they will talk about in 50 or 100 years’ time.” he said.
He however indicated that there is enough room for the 32-year-old to improve if he wants to make it as a professional footballer.
“I don’t want him to be here on holiday, I want him training hard,” he said, adding that he wanted Bolt to be lifting trophies during his stint at Valletta.
“I don’t want to make a big fuss, I want him to sign the contract, get on the flight, arrive in Malta and train, because we need to prepare for the Super Cup.” Slimen said.
Bolt retired from Athletics last year and has always been outspoken about wanting a career in football.
He joined Central Coast Mariners on trial and scored his first two goals last week in a pre-season friendly against a lower ranked team.
The 32-year-old doesn’t have a professional contract yet with the Mariners as the start of the Australian football season approaches
Mariners Chief Executive Shaun Mielekamp said n a statement that the record holder “will continue his indefinite training period… until any further notice”.
Media reports indicates the Mariners are waiting for the Football Federation of Australia to decide whether it will add to a potential Aus$3 million (US$2.1 million) offer to Bolt.
FFA Chief David Gallop said Tuesday that the latest information on an offer from Malta is news to him.
“The ball is very much in the Mariners court. They have to make a decision whether they want to move to put Usain onto a contract,” Gallop told Macquarie Sports Radio.
“If they get to that point (of signing Bolt) then we’ll look at what’s feasible for us but it can’t be from the marquee player fund…. we can’t use that money but we’ll look at if we can do anything else.” he said.
Bolt had unfruitful trials in Germany and Norway also but seems to be making progress in Australia as he strives to fulfill his dreams.
