Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has officially signed up to play in a charity soccer game at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium this summer.

Usain Bolt soccer charity game news

The 31-year-old Jamaican sprinter — who is the 100-meter world record holder — retired from athletics in August 2017 after an illustrious career.

On Sunday, he tweeted a video announcing he will captain a World XI team that will take on a team led by British singer Robbie Williams in a celebrity-filled matchup at Old Trafford on June 10 intended to raise money for UNICEF, the world-renown organization dedicated to helping children in impoverished nations.

Bolt jabbed Williams in the promotional video, saying: “stick to singing, and leave the football to me.”

It has not yet been announced what other non-soccer celebrities will participate in the game.

Bolt, a longtime Manchester United fan, has been strongly suggesting for some time that he would like to play for the Premier League club, led by manager Jose Mourinho. 

“I watch a lot of football, I understand it, I play it,” Bolt said last year. “With training, I could be good. Me and [Paul] Pogba talk a lot. I watch and ask him a lot of questions. I want to play but it has to be in the top league. I’m not content to be average.

“I strive to be the best and if I get a chance to play for a team like Manchester United it will be a massive deal.”

Whether or not the Jamaican will actually pursue a long-term soccer career with the Red Devils remains uncertain. Regardless, there is no doubt that his incredible speed would help any squad he may choose to join.

Bolt added: “It is my dream to make it as a professional footballer, so to be able to step out onto the pitch at Old Trafford in June, and play against some of football’s biggest legends is going to be remarkable.

“I enjoy the thrill of competition in front of a crowd, so Robbie and his England team better watch out as I won’t be going easy on them!

“I’ve got a pretty special celebration planned for when I score, by the way.”

Bolt ran the 100-meters in a jaw-dropping, world-record 9.58 seconds.

In November 2016, just three months after competing at the Rio Olympics, Bolt appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and faced off in a hilarious rap battle with the English comedian in the latter’s popular segment “Drop the Mic,” which has now become its own television series on TBS.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 100m Final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Usain Bolt has been a fan of Manchester United for a long time, and now the eight-time Olympic gold medallist will have the opportunity to play for the Red Devils.

Usain Bolt news

The Jamaican sprinter — who will be 30 later this month — has retired from athletics following a disappointing performance at the IAAF World Championships in London earlier this month. Bolt —the world-record holder for the 100m and 200m sprints — won silver in the men’s 100m final in London after losing to American Justin Gatlin. He then withdrew from the 4x100m relay final with a hamstring injury.

If Bolt recovers in time, however, he would get to play alongside former United players like Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin, Dwight Yorke, and Phil Neville
in a legends charity game against Barcelona at Old Trafford on Sept. 2.

“If I could get to play for Manchester United, that would be like a dream come true,” Bolt said in November. “That would be epic.”

Bolt has also joked about how good a soccer player he believes he could be.

“I’m not gonna say I’m going to be the best footballer in the world but I’d be at a good level, I’d say,” he said. “Maybe Wayne Rooney level.”

The Jamaican had the opportunity to train with German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund last year.

The legends game will be a second leg. United won the first leg 3-1 at Camp Nou on June 30 thanks to goals from Jesper Blomqvist, Karel Poborsky and a game-winner from Yorke.

Former United captain Bryan Robson and assistant Andrew Cole will manage the Red Devils on Sept. 2. The first-leg game was played to raise funds for the Pediatric Cancer centre in Barcelona.

According to Newsweek, Barcelona’s lineup for the second-leg game will include Gaizka Mendieta, Eric Abidal, Miguel Ángel Nadal, Gheorghe Popescu, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea and Julio Salinas.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 100m Final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

American sprinter Justin Gatlin says he is perplexed by the London crowd’s reaction to his unexpected victory over fan-favorite Usain Bolt in the men’s 100-meter final at the IAAF World Championships on Saturday.

Justin Gatlin 100m IAAF World Championships news

Gatlin — who previously won gold in the 100m at the Helsinki World Championships in 2005 — finished the race in a season-best 9.92 seconds to beat Bolt by 0.03 seconds and was heavily booed by the crowd at London’s Olympic Stadium.

Before Saturday, Bolt — who won three gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics — had been the world record holder for both the 100m and 200m competitions, and was set to retire following this year’s IAAF World Championships. However, the eight-time gold medallist from Jamaica — who will be 31 later this month, finished bronze on Saturday in his final individual race.

Gatlin, 35, is one of the most notorious cheaters in the sport of sprinting. The Brooklyn native — who won gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics — has been suspended twice for doping violations. On Saturday, Gatlin was jeered every time he was introduced before the 100m heats, semifinals and final. The loudest boos and taunts, however, came after he defeated Bolt, though they subsided somewhat when Gatlin stepped up to the podium to receive his medal.

The American was banned for two years in 2001 while he was at college, and also served 12 months of his sentence for consuming a prohibited amphetamine after successfully arguing he had taken the drug as medication for attention deficit disorder.

Gatlin was also banned in 2006 for eight years, a suspension which was later shortened to four following an appeal, for testing positive for the prohibited steroid testosterone.

When asked about his opinion on the crowd’s reaction to his victory, Gatlin told CNN: “It leaves me scratching my head,” he said. “I’ve been back in the sport since 2010. I wasn’t booed in 2012, ’11, ’12 — which was still in London — ’13 or ’14 or ’15 and not that much in ’16.”

The third-place winner of the 100m race at the London 2012 Olympics also criticized the media for inflating his rivalry with Bolt, whom he said he admires and has a great relationship with.

Bolt will still attempt to win gold at the men’s 4x100m relay in London this year.

Nine of the 30 fastest 100m times, including the top four, have been set by Bolt. The other 21 times on that list belong to athletes who have, at one point, violated doping regulations.

In 2015, Gatlin also faced off against Bolt at the World Championships in Beijing for his first race after returning from his eight-year ban. The American had boasted a 28-race undefeated streak up until then and seemed likely to beat Bolt as the world-record-holder. Bolt ultimately won by 0.01 seconds.

Usain Bolt now has eight Olympic gold medals, not nine.

Usain Bolt, Jamaica Stripped Of 2008 Olympic Gold Medal after teammate tests positive for doping

The 30-year-old sprinting star and the Jamaican team have been stripped of their 4×100-meter relay gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Games after one runner, Nesta Carter, was found guilty of a doping violation, the International Olympic Committee stated on Wednesday.

Carter initially tested negative following the 2008 race. His sample was one of 454 retested by the IOC last year, and has been discovered to contain the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine.

Bolt won the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and the 4×100 relay at the last three Summer Olympics, for a total of nine gold medals, tied for the most by any track athlete.

Scores of athletes from the Beijing and 2012 London Games have been found, upon retesting of their samples, to be guilty of doping violations. Several were medalists. It is standard practice for Olympic officials to store urine samples for up to a decade so they may conduct additional tests, often with more advanced, newly developed techniques.

Carter was also a member of the winning 4×100 relay team in London in 2012, although no announcement regarding the status of that medal has been made. He is a three-time world champion in the relay as well.

Carter, 31, also helped Jamaica win at the World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

He ran the first leg for Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team in Beijing, which also included Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Bolt.

The team won in a then-world record of 37.10 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan, whose medals could be upgraded. Brazil would then receive bronze. Team USA dropped the baton in its heat.

When one member of a team tests positive, it is typical for the entire team to be robbed of its medals, though there have been exceptions. Marion Jones lost two relay medals from 2000 due to doping violations, but her teammates were permitted to keep theirs following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Several members of the Russian track and field team were banned from participating in the 2016 Rio Games in August due to doping violations.

The IOC also revealed Wednesday that Russian Tatiana Lebedeva was disqualified from the 2008 long jump, in which she won the silver medal, and the triple jump due to a positive test.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 18: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has confirmed that nine-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt will train with the Bundesliga club.

Borussia Dortmund Confirm Multiple-Gold Medallist Usain Bolt Will Train With Club

Watzke told Kicker magazine on Sunday that “it was no joke” and “not a marketing move.”

Dortmund and the 30-year-old Jamaican sprinter are both sponsored by the same Germany-based sporting goods company Puma, whose president contacted Dortmund to state that Bolt had inquired about training with the team.

“We decided this some time ago,” Watzke said. “Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden, who is member of our board, has told us that Usain is highly interested in practicing with us.

“For us that’s no problem. Our coach Thomas Tuchel likes the idea as well. Of course he won’t visit us in an important week with Champions League matches but maybe in the pre-season. We are delighted and take this as an honor.’

Asked if Bolt could potentially have a future in the club, Watzke replied: “We don’t even need to talk about it.”

Bolt has long been a soccer fan, and particularly a fan of Manchester United. He won three gold medals at the Rio Olympics in August, thus completing the unprecedented feat of a third consecutive triple Olympic gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. He became the subject of several memes and GIFs due to his impressive, world-record-breaking speed and his signature move of pointing toward the sky with both arms raised diagonally. Bolt has previously voiced his wish to play for the Premier League team.

“For me, if I could get to play for Manchester United, that would be like a dream come true,” Bolt said. “Yes, that would be epic.”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 100m Final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Lightning has struck Rio de Janeiro once again with unstoppable force.

Usain Bolt Dominates Again For 200M Olympic Gold In Rio

Usain Bolt reminded everyone why he is the world’s fastest man on Thursday night by winning the 200-meter final in 19.78 seconds to easily claim his third straight Olympic title in the event, adding to his gold from the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games.

As his name was announced and he entered the Olympic Stadium Thursday, the Jamaican– who turns 30 this Sunday– spread his arms, wide, flashed a big smile for the cameras, and wiggled his eyebrows. Bolt also did a quick samba dance and eventually dropped to his knees, pointing to the sky, where a light rain was beginning to fall amidst a cool, steady breeze. As soon as the gunshot went off, he rose to begin his sprint and from there, it was clear to everyone what would likely happen in the final race of his Olympic career.

“I’ve proven to the world that I’m the greatest,” Bolt said. “This is what I came here for. This is why I said this is my last Olympics. Because I cant prove anything else.”

Bolt has now won both the 100 and 200 meters at three consecutive Olympics, an accomplishment that will surely go down as one of the most unbeatable records in Olympic history and more generally in the world of sports.

Canada’s Andre De Grasse took silver with a time of 20.02, a second Olympic medal this year following his 100m bronze.

France’s Christophe Lemaitre claimed bronze in the 200 with a time of 20.12 seconds, after edging Great Britain’s Adam Gemili, who finished in the exact same time as him.

Bolt can still add another medal in the 4×100 relay final on Friday. The Jamaican admitted he was not happy with his performance Thursday, even though the race was never close.

Bolt strayed from the pack as he came around the turn. He puffed out his cheeks down the final stretch.

Bolt said he lost his form, and he was turning his head back and forth as he crossed the finish line.

After the race, he fell to his knees and raised his arms toward the stands. As the other runners shuffled off the track, Bolt took a solitary walk around the stadium, the Jamaican flag wrapped around his shoulders, as Bob Marley songs played over the speakers.

Bolt said on Sunday, after winning his first gold medal of the 2016 Olympics, that he felt he needed two more in Rio to “become immortal.” He has previously stated that he plans to retire following the world championships next year.

Following the race, Bolt also added that he proved that an athlete could be great while competing clean, without drugs. “I’ve made the sport exciting, made people want to see the sport,” he said.

Just after finishing the race, Bolt also paid homage to NBA superstar LeBron James. The Jamaican broke out the Cleveland Cavalier’s “Silencer” move, lifting his knees high while pushing his hands down sharply, with the palms flat.

James later tweeted at Bolt to show his approval, just as he did earlier in the week when he expressed his amazement with Bolt’s 100-meter win:

Bolt’s fellow competitors were hailing his legacy. Many were asked if it was a relief to see him retire.

“If his time is up, I guess a new person has to come in there,” De Grasse said.

After the race, a reporter asked Bolt what a 30-year-old retired person does with his time.

“What am I going to do? I have no idea,” Bolt said, laughing. “You just stressed me out about that.”

The most decorated Olympic sprinter in the world will surely find a good way to spend his time.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 18: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Usain Bolt ran his fastest time of the season to win his Olympic 200-meter semi-final in 19.78 seconds in Rio on Wednesday as his American rival Justin Gatlin missed out on a spot in the final.

Usain Bolt Continues Hot Olympic Streak With 200M Semifinal Win; USA’s Justin Gatlin Crashes Out

The Jamaican won the 100m on Sunday night and is now seeking an eighth Olympic gold medal by retaining his 200m title.

Gatlin, 34, won silver behind Bolt in the 100m final, but only finished third in his semi-final.

Great Britain’s Adam Gemili, 22, reached Thursday’s final as one of two fastest losers.

Gatlin, banned twice for doping violations, clocked 20.13 and failed to advance along with another favorite: Jamaican Yohan Blake. 

Blake, who won silver behind Bolt in London in 2012, has been hampered by injury over the past few years and faded to finish sixth with a time of 20.37 seconds.

American LaShawn Merritt, who has run 19.74 this year, is likely to pose the biggest challenge to Bolt in the final.

But Bolt believes he can break his world record of 19.19 and could even go under 19 seconds in the final.

“I definitely think I can try for the world record, I definitely feel that,” Bolt said. “I need to run efficiently and get into the straight and run the perfect race.”

Nonetheless, the Jamaican added that he believes he would have a better chance of achieving his goal to run under 19 seconds if he gets a high lane, adding: “If I get a lower lane it’s always harder for me to run the corner when it is tighter.”

On Wednesday night, the Jamaican felt someone on his right side challenging him the last few meters of the race. After quickly glancing sideways, Bolt saw that it was Canadian Andre De Grasse, who won bronze in the 100m, and De Grasse was threatening to pass him.

However, Bolt flashed a big smile, accelerated and beat the Canadian at the finish line. Once there, he turned and wagged a finger De Grasse’s way, as if to say, “Not yet.”

Afterwards, the two embraced, laughed together and walked back to the locker room side-by-side, displaying no hard feelings.

“I don’t think he expected me to do that,” the 21-year-old De Grasse told reporters after the race. “I had to push him a little bit, you know, see what he has left in the tank.”

Bolt, who turns 30 on Sunday, said: “He was supposed to slow down. I said: ‘What are you doing? It’s a semifinal.’ But I think he wanted to push me.”

On Gatlin’s exit from the competition, Bolt told BBC Radio 5 live: “Everybody’s in shock. You can tell from the 100m he’s getting old. It’s a fact the older you get, the rougher it gets to double.

“Next year if I go to the World Championships [in London] I’m not going to double. I’m going to do the 100m and that is it.”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 17: Usain Bolt of Jamaica looks on prior to the Men’s 200m Semifinals on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Usain Bolt has proven again that he is the world’s fastest runner.

Usain Bolt Wins Third Straight 100M Olympic Gold, USA’s Justin Gatlin Finishes Second

The Jamaican track and field sprinter became the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic 100-meter titles after taking gold in the event in Rio Sunday night.

Bolt, who will turn 30 later this month, ran 9.81 seconds in his final Olympics to finish first, just as he did at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games.

American Justin Gatlin, twice banned for doping violations, won silver with a time of 9.89, while Canada’s Andre de Grasse took bronze after finishing with a personal best time of 9.91. Bolt’s Jamaican teammate, Yohan Blake, finished fourth. Team USA’s Trayvon Bromell finished last (eighth) with a time of 10.06. 

“Somebody said I can become immortal,” said Bolt, who finished off the race by doing his signature ‘lightning bolt’ pose, with arms bent and pointing diagonally skywards in the same direction. “Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal.”

The Jamaican also took selfies with several fans at the Olympic Stadium.

Bolt remains prepared to leave Rio with a third straight Olympic treble, after winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles in 2008 and 2012.

“It wasn’t perfect today, but I got it done and I’m pretty proud of what I’ve achieved,” he said. “Nobody else has done it or even attempted it.

“I expected to go faster, but I’m happy that I won. I did what I had to.”

At the start of the sprint, Bolt trailed 34-year-old Gatlin, who was seeking to regain the title he won in Athens in 2004.

However, the Jamaican surged through from 60 meters to overtake Gatlin and win his seventh Olympic gold by a comfortable margin.

Both before and after race, Bolt was treated to loud cheers from the crowd, who also chanted his name.

“It wasn’t about the time, it was just about winning the gold and going out on top,” said Michael Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion.

Bolt stated in February that he would retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships. He competes in qualifying for the men’s 200m on Tuesday, with the 4x100m relay beginning on Friday.

The world record holder at 100m and 200m reminded the Rio crowd how speedy he was by clocking a season’s best 9.86 in his semifinal.

“After the semi-final, I felt extremely good,” Bolt added.

“I wanted to run faster but with the turnaround time – we normally have two hours but we had one hour 20 minutes – it was challenging. This is what we train for. I told you guys I was going to do it. Stay tuned. Two more to go.”

Twitter immediately blew up with comments on Bolt’s performance, with sports stars like LeBron James and former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis weighing in:

Contrarily to Bolt’s warm reception, Gatlin entered the stadium to the sound of boos, but he didn’t appear bothered.

The American’s first drugs ban in 2001 was reduced from two years to one after he proved the amphetamines he was taking were for an attention deficit disorder.

He then tested positive for testosterone in 2006, one year after capturing the 100m and 200m double at the World Championships. Gatlin served a four-year ban that was reduced twice, first from a lifetime then to eight years.

He returned to the track in 2010, winning Olympic bronze at London 2012 and losing to Bolt in the 2015 World Championships.

Bolt injured a hamstring at the end of June, while Gatlin had recorded the fastest time of the year in July, clocking 9.80.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 100m Final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)