Usain Bolt Joins Wythenshawe Vets FC in Veterans' League

Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history, is back on a teamsheet – this time in the veterans' leagues of south Manchester.

The eight-time Olympic champion has been officially registered to play for Wythenshawe Vets FC, according to The Football Association's Full-Time website. The 40-year-old Jamaican appears as a player for the club, who compete in the Premier Division of the Cheshire Veterans Football League.

This is no ordinary over-35s side.

Wythenshawe made headlines last season for putting together a squad stacked with former Premier League names. The roll call for this campaign is extraordinary for a Sunday veterans' league: former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, ex-Everton forward Oumar Niasse, former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia, Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha, plus Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Now they have Bolt on the books as well.

The Jamaican still owns the world records over 100m and 200m, both set in that unforgettable 2009 World Championships in Berlin. He walked away from the track in 2017, then turned his attention to football, openly chasing a professional career in the sport he has always loved.

His most serious tilt came in Australia. In 2018, Bolt scored twice in a friendly for A-League side Central Coast Mariners and went on to sign a contract with the club after turning down a two-year offer from Maltese side Valletta. The experiment was short-lived; he left the Mariners just eight weeks later.

Now his name is back on an official squad list, this time in the grassroots game.

Wythenshawe Vets have not yet publicly announced Bolt's registration, and the club has been contacted for comment.