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“Made a Mistake”- Usain Bolt Blames Australia for Destroying His Soccer Career Dream

Published 07/05/2022, 7:30 AM EDT

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People are aware of the accolades of Usain Bolt in track and field. The sprinter clocked the fastest time in the sport’s history to become the fastest man alive in 2009. And he has retained the title since then.

However, the athlete has retired from the sport now. And he had tried his hand at various career options since.

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Whom does Usain Bolt blame for his failed soccer career?

Notably, Bolt aspired to make it big in soccer after retiring from sprinting. After a trial, he even secured a spot with A-League Men (Australian professional league) football club Central Coast Mariners.

Numerous clubs were willing to sign the sprinter despite his inexperience in the sport because of his legacy. But he decided to go with Central Coast Mariners. The Olympian even made a couple of appearances during the pre-season. Moreover, Bolt scored two goals during this time.

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It created a frenzy of media personnel flocking the small town of Gosford. However, the deal did not work out for the athlete, and he had to decline the offer.

via Getty

According to reports, the club offered Bolt an offer that was too low for the decorated sprinter. If these reports are to go by, the club offered him a measly $150,000 for a season. However, the amount proved too low for the athlete who had his eyes set on a $3 million deal, so he declined.

Even though the athlete did not acknowledge it at the time, he came forward to speak about the ordeal later. Speaking with media personnel ahead of the UNICEF Soccer Aid charity match, Bolt said, “I think I made a mistake at the start.”

“When I retired from track and field, I didn’t want to stay in Europe because the media was going to be all over it. So I went to Australia, but the level of football there wasn’t good. I should have stayed in Europe,” the sprinter added.

Seemingly frustrated, Bolt continued, “After a year of trials I just said, you know what, let’s just move on from that. So I moved on.”

Bolt’s soccer career following this stint

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The Jamaican sprinting star may have given up on playing soccer for the club, but he did not let go of his dream to become a soccer player. Most recently, he participated in Soccer Aid, a friendly soccer match between two teams composed of celebrities and retired professional players to raise money for UNICEF.

via Getty

Even though Bolt could not fulfill his dream of representing a club in soccer matches, he does participate in games like Soccer Aid. Moreover, he also launched his music career following his retirement from sprinting.

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And the athlete is proving to be a rising star in the music industry too!

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Written by:

Aklanta Chetia

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Aklanta Chetia Wanniang is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in Literature from the University of Delhi. With an interest in learning about multiple sports, Aklanta himself is a former sportsperson and has participated in state and national level swimming events.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa