Bolt offered contract by Malta club: reports

▶ Sprint king gains chance to play professional soccer in Europe

Sprint king Usain Bolt could be making his way to Europe after being offered a two-year professional soccer contract in Malta, reports said Tuesday, with the club saying it wanted to “write history” with the signing.

Bolt, 32, has been on trial with Australian club the Central Coast Mariners since arriving in August in his bid to pursue a boyhood dream of becoming a soccer player after retiring from athletics last year.

The 100-meter world record holder scored his first two goals in professional soccer on Friday when he started a preseason game against second-tier Macarthur South West United in Sydney.

Malta club Valletta FC said they had made a formal offer which includes playing in its upcoming cup final, with Chief Executive Ghasston Slimen saying the move to snare Bolt was “about writing history.”

“Usain Bolt broke the record in Beijing [Olympics] in 2008, and I have followed him for the last year and a half on his football journey,” Slimen told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“We play the final of the Super Cup on December 13, which we will win... so can you imagine Usain Bolt lifting the Super Cup trophy 10 years after he broke the record in Beijing?

“This isn’t about money, this is about history. This is something that they will talk about in 50 or 100 years’ time.”

A group of investors from the Sanban Group in the United Arab Emirates acquired a majority stake in the club last month, vowing to qualify for the group stages of the European Champions League.

Slimen admitted Bolt still had to improve his soccer skills, but said he was inspired by the former sprinter’s jubilant celebrations after the goals.

“I don’t want him to be here on holiday, I want him training hard,” he said, adding that he wanted Bolt to be lifting trophies during his stint at Valletta.

Bolt does not yet have a contract with the Mariners ahead of the start of the A-League season, with the club’s Chief Executive Shaun Mielekamp saying in a statement that the Jamaican “will continue his indefinite training period... until any further notice.”

Media reports suggest the Mariners are waiting for governing body Football Federation Australia to decide whether it will contribute to a potential A$3 million ($2.1 million) offer to Bolt.