Irish striker puts the boot into Bolt’s dream
Perth Glory’s Irish striker Andy Keogh says Usain Bolt will never make it as a professional footballer.
The 31-year-old former sprinter was offered a contract by the Central Coast Mariners last week after trialling through the off-season with the A-League strugglers.
The Jamaican was said to have knocked back the offer with it falling well below his asking price.
Keogh, who played in the English Premier League during his career before moving to Perth in 2014, told Irish sports show The Keith Andrews Show he didn’t think Bolt would ever be good enough to play professional football.
‘‘Umm, because I play in the A-League, it’s nice to have the attention on the A League, but him playing in the A League, that’s not for me,’’ Keogh said.
‘‘He’s 31. For me, he’s not going to be able to make it [as a footballer].
‘‘He’s shown a bit, but it’s a little bit of a kick in the teeth to the professionals that are in the league. You can understand it from a marketing point of view, but from a football perspective, it’s a little bit farcical.’’ Keogh was then asked what Bolt’s first touch was like, and didn’t hold back.
‘‘From what I’ve seen, it’s like a trampoline.’’ He did not agree with whoever had made the assessment that Bolt was good enough to offer a contract to.
‘‘If there’s someone who genuinely thinks he’d be a good football addition, I don’t think they should be in a position to make those calls.
‘‘It’s a salary cap league, so you’ve got to give him money out of your salary cap, and is he going to contribute to your squad?
‘‘He says he’s chasing the dream of being a professional footballer, yet he’s come out with quotes where he says he wants X amount, when if you’re chasing the dream it’s not about the money, it’s about the dream, and he’s obviously contradicted himself massively there.’’