Usain Bolt To Play For Manchester United In Legends Charity Game Vs. Barcelona (Sept. 2)

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)