JAMAICAN COACH WANTS USAIN BOLT IN NATIONAL TEAM AFTER RIO 2016
Could sprinting legend Usain Bolt soon trade his spikes for football boots? The possibility remains very much alive, as Jamaican national team coach Winfried Schäfer has publicly expressed interest in having the world’s fastest man join the Reggae Boyz.
“I would like to have him in the team. After the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, I would like him to be in the national team. I hope he will agree,” Schäfer told The Sunday Gleaner.
Bolt, an eight-time world champion and six-time Olympic gold medalist, has long been a vocal fan of football, especially of Manchester United, and has previously hinted at pursuing a football career after his track retirement. With his career on the track set to conclude after the Rio 2016 Olympics, he’ll be 30 years old—an unconventional but not impossible age to launch a new sporting chapter.
If he accepts the invitation, Bolt could potentially feature in the 2016 Caribbean Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He could also join Jamaica’s journey through the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, which will be underway in the CONCACAF region.
Though it remains uncertain whether Bolt has the technical level required for top-tier international football, his unmatched speed and global appeal would undoubtedly bring excitement—and attention—to the Reggae Boyz.
