Bolt not giving up hope on football career

MELBOURNE: Superstar sprinter Usain Bolt is adamant he can become a professional footballer despite his trial with an Australian club ending, insisting Saturday: “I still have it”. The eight-time Olympic champion’s “indefinite” try-out period with the A-league’s Central Coast Mariners collapsed on Friday after contract talks failed.

The club reportedly offered him only a fraction of the AUD 3 million (USD 2.1 million) his managers were seeking, and the outside sponsors needed to make the deal viable could not be found.

“It’s sad that it didn’t work out,” the Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper at the Derby Day horse races in Melbourne, where he arrived in a suit, sunglasses and with a gold-handled cane.

“But we parted on good terms, and that’s a good thing.

“I had a great experience with them. The guys were great -- we just couldn’t work out things with the contract, but hopefully I get another chance with another team.” Bolt, who retired from athletics last year, has long dreamed of becoming a soccer player and had been training with the Mariners since August, sparking global interest when he scored two goals in a pre-season friendly. But the staunch Manchester United fan’s abilities were questioned by pundits and some players and he has now had trials with clubs in Germany, SA, Norway, and Australia to no avail.