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Usain Bolt savaged over Aussie football criticism: 'Not good'

Andrew Reid
·3-min read
Pictured right, Usain Bolt speaking about his time playing football in Australia.
Usain Bolt has sparked uproar after labelling the standard of Australian football 'not good'. Pic: Getty/Twitter

Usain Bolt has faced the wrath of the Australian football community after a disparaging remark about his experience Down Under.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist enjoyed an ill-fated spell in Australia with the Central Coast Mariners after calling time on his glittering athletics career.

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Bolt currently holds the world records in both the 100m and 200m events and is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time.

However, things didn't go quite so well for the Jamaican when he retired from athletics in 2017 and decided to have a crack at his other burning passion - becoming a professional football player.

Bolt ended up at A-League club the Central Coast Mariners, where he played in two pre-season games and even scored a pair of goals.

Seen here, Usain Bolt celebrates scoring his first goal for the Central Coast Mariners during a pre-season friendly against Macarthur South West United.
Usain Bolt celebrates scoring his first goal for the Central Coast Mariners during a pre-season friendly against Macarthur South West United. Pic: Getty (Matt King via Getty Images)

The 'Sprint King' then quit his trial with the Mariners in 2018 after rejecting a one-year contract offer said to be worth around $150,000.

The Jamaican's agent was reportedly seeking a deal worth a staggering $3 million, with Bolt later admitting that his experience in Australian football was "a little bit harder" than he expected.

Bolt then claimed in 2020 that he "didn’t get a fair chance" with the Mariners, and regretted that his time in Australia didn't work out.

It appears as though Bolt has a short memory though after he took aim at the standard of Australian football in a recent interview after a charity match.

Speaking after a UNICEF Soccer Aid match that raised more than $25 million for the charity, Bolt took a savage swipe at the quality of Australian football.

“When I retired from track and field, I didn’t want to stay in Europe because of the media. I went to Australia, but the level of football there wasn’t good. I should have stayed in Europe.

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

Usain Bolt called out over Aussie football criticism

Bolt's comments drew a swift rebuke from the Australian football community, many of whom were quick to remind the Sprint King about his struggles Down Under.

Veteran football commentator Simon Hill responded on Twitter by saying: “Well, it certainly wasn’t good when he was playing, that’s for sure.

“Brilliant athlete, but nowhere near a pro footballer. Thank goodness these sorts of PR stunts are long gone.”

Fox Sports News football reporter James Dodd tweeted: “This is laughable from Usain Bolt.

“I was there reporting and watching his training sessions at the Mariners. He was garbage.

“He’s a Sunday league footballer at very best and not a good one either.”

Aussie football journalist Ray Gatt added: “He couldn’t keep up during training sessions. His touch was terrible, positioning awful. Out of his depth.”

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