Sports

Usain Bolt Begins Professional Soccer Career, Debuts for Australian Club

Published

8 years ago

September 1, 2018

Eric

Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in track and field history, retired last year at the IAAF World Championships, heartbreakingly pulling up in his final race, the 4×100 meter relay, with a hamstring injury.

But once he healed, Bolt turned his attention to another favorite sport: soccer. On Friday, he made his professional debut, as a trialist with the Central Coast Mariners of the Hyundai A-League, the top level in Australia.

Nineteen minutes, one shot

Bolt came on in the 71st minute of a game the Mariners were dominating; they were playing a preseason friendly with Central Coast Select and were up 6-0 when Bolt came on.

The 32-year-old Jamaican has been training with the Mariners since Aug. 18, and there is no timetable on how long he’ll be with the club.

The crowd of just under 10,000 gave him a loud ovation when he stepped onto the pitch, an uneasy smile on his often-beaming face. Bolt made the sign of the cross on his chest, and ran into position at left wing.

Wearing No. 95, a nod to his 100-meter world record time of 9.58 seconds, Bolt played the final 19 minutes and he had seven possessions and one shot.

‘I was a little bit nervous’

The world-record holder in the 100- and 200-meters, Bolt said in a post-match interview that he had some butterflies.

“It was good; it was what I expected,” Bolt said. “The crowd really gave me a good ovation, I really appreciated that.

“I was a little bit nervous, but as soon as I got on the field I think the nerves kind of went. I wish I had more touches but I’m not fit yet. I just got to put in the work, get up to speed, and I’m looking forward to a great season.”

Bolt said he thinks it will take two months for his fitness level to be where it needs to be, but at least twice that long for him to get to where he needs to be in terms of knowing his teammates, improving his touches and “playing like one of the guys.”

Bolt believes in Mariners

An eight-time Olympic gold medalist and 11-time World Championships gold medalist, Bolt wasn’t quite ready to compared his Mariners experience to, say, his incredible performance at the 2008 Summer Games.

“It’s hard to compare; it’s my first one,” he said with a chuckle. “It was a great feeling, but right now I’m just trying to get used to the guys. It’s a wonderful moment to actually get to play at a high level, to play professional football, so that’s what I’m happy about. I think along the line when I start winning championships with this team, because I really believe in them, the moment will be higher and higher. But right now, I’m just happy to be here.”

Bolt agreed with one of the interviewers that it will be helpful for him now that the coaching staff has him on tape, so they can break down areas where he needs to improve.

The Mariners finished 10th in the 10-team A-League last season.

Yahoo! Sports

Sports

Luka Modric’s World Cup Story Ends, Cristiano Ronaldo Gets Lifeline

Published

1 day ago

July 3, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

It was an emotional encounter as two of world’s best footballers; Luca Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo squared against each other in a bid to lay their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy when Portugal met Croatia in the round of 32. But after about 97minutes of play time, the World Cup story of Modric came to am abrupt end while Ronaldo gets a lifeline, proceeding to the Round of 16.

Both Ronaldo and Modric are not likely to feature in another World Cup tournament.

Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday to set up a titanic showdown with European champions Spain.

In another nerve-shredding World Cup classic, Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser agonisingly ruled out for offside in Toronto.

Portugal’s 41-year-old superstar captain Cristiano Ronaldo had helped haul his team back into the contest, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s 53rd-minute opener from Ivan Perisic.

Ronaldo later joined frenzied celebrations after Ramos glanced home a sensational header deep into injury time to give Portugal the lead.

But Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates were left stunned when Josko Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser in stoppage time.

Yet there was one final twist when the goal was chalked off for offside after a lengthy VAR review to the disbelief of Croatia’s players and their large contingent of fans at Toronto’s BMO Field.

After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and pulled on a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21, a tribute to late team-mate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool star who tragically died in a car crash almost a year to the day from Thursday’s win, on July 3 last year.

“We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable,” Ronaldo said afterwards of the tribute to Jota.

“I was amazed because the situation of today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but the also the way we won the game. It was a difficult game, we knew it.”

The result ensures that Ronaldo’s incredible World Cup career will be extended for at least one more match when the Portuguese face Iberian rivals Spain in the last 16 in Dallas on Monday.

Ronaldo’s second-half penalty made him the oldest man to score in a World Cup knockout match.

Spain romp past Austria

Spain had advanced to that meeting with a scintillating 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles earlier Friday that confirmed their status as one of the favourites for the title.

Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed victory for the Spaniards, who produced their most complete performance of the tournament to advance to the next round.

Spain opened their World Cup campaign with a faltering 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but have subsequently built momentum with each match.

AFP

Sports

Ronaldo Celebrates Saudi Pro League Win with Al-Nassr

Published

1 month ago

May 22, 2026

Eric

Al Nassr captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has finally won the Saudi Pro League title.

They were confirmed champions on Thursday, thanks to a 4-2 drubbing of relegation battlers, Damac.

The title race had gone down to the final day after Al-Nassr dramatically dropped points against Al-Hilal the previous week.

Jorge Jesus’ side knew there could be no mistakes against a Damac side fighting for survival at the other end of the table.

Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, as his brace helped Al Nassr secure the title ahead of rivals Al Hilal.

Sports

FIFA Lists Six Females Among 52 Referees for 2026 World Cup

Published

3 months ago

April 10, 2026

Eric

FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.

Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.

“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.

“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.

“In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed.”

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the biggest in history, with a 48-team line-up and 104 matches to be played.

There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.

“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.

AFP