Kolkata: After etching his name in the history of athletics, sprint legend Usain Bolt would feature in a football match for European giants Manchester United.
The recently retired Jamaican sprinter is all set to fulfill his childhood dream of donning the United jersy, playing for Manchester United against Barcelona at Old Trafford on September 2.
However, Bolt at the moment is injured after sustaining a hamstring injury in the final race of his illustrious career. He will look to recover at the earliest and regain his fitness in order to be available for the charity match.
The eight time Olympics gold medalist has time and again mentioned about his desire to play for Manchester United. He even joked with the reporters saying, “Everyone knows i’m always thinking about football. I’m waiting on a call from (Jose) Mourinho. I think he’s waiting until the last day (of the transfer window). ”
Bolt had also visited the club in the year 2012 and was presented with the United t-shirt, with Bolt 963 written at the back. The number 963 was given to Usain Bolt in remembrance of the 9.63 seconds he took to complete the 100m race at the 2012 Olympics, which is still an Olympic world record.
The charity match which is supposed to be held at Old Trafford will be the second leg of the series. United had won the first leg of the series 3-1 at Camp Nou.
The United legends team other than Usain Bolt will also comprise of great players like Paul Scholes, Andy Cole, Edwin van der sar, Dennis Irwin, Dwight Yorke and Phil Neville and will be coached by former United player Bryan Robson.
After suffering the injury during the 4×100m race in the 2017 World Championships, Bolt told the reporters, “Well, I’ve always said that I wanted to play football because it’s something I think I’ll be good at.”
“But right now, after pulling my hamstring, I’m not really worried about that at this moment,” he added.
Having already given his word for being available for the charity match, Bolt races against time to be fully fit for the match. It will be a great joy to watch the fastest man in the world play for his dream team.