We were all duped.
Usain Bolt may be retired but he still possesses the power to set social media alight. On Sunday, the legendary Jamaican sprinter generated enormous levels of excitement among his five million Twitter followers after announcing he’d signed for a football team.
The eight-time Olympic gold medalist said he would reveal who he’d signed for on Tuesday at 8am. However, many thought the cat had been let out of the bag when South African football side Mamelodi Sundowns posted a tweet suggesting that Bolt was set to join them.
Football will never be the same. Find out tomorrow 8am GMT! 😏👆 #Sundowns pic.twitter.com/nifRZFR62s
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 26, 2018
However, we were all led down the garden path. As promised, Bolt revealed all on Tuesday but it wasn’t what we were expecting. The 31-year-old confirmed that he will be playing in this year’s Soccer Aid match, going up against popstar Robbie Williams. Watch the announcement video below.
Excited to announce that I will be playing in @socceraid for @UNICEF_uk 2018 at Old Trafford on Sunday 10th June. Make sure you're ready @robbiewilliams! ⚽️🌍 pic.twitter.com/t2sDB1iLP8
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) February 27, 2018
Soccer Aid is a wonderful cause and it’s great that this year’s game has been able to attract Bolt, but we can’t help but feel as though the wool has been pulled over everyone’s eyes.
As you can imagine, there was some exasperation to his ‘announcement.’
https://twitter.com/_TomLFC_/status/968396806852894720
https://twitter.com/RealRonnieRay/status/968406163321774080
Masandawana and Usain hyped South Africa for this. Its a good cause but I mean 😭 I feel cheated pic.twitter.com/WKkG7U4PGl
— Black Angel With A Regular Name ۵ (@_ZeeMe) February 27, 2018
— Borofan (@boroRyann) February 27, 2018
— Jonny Thornton (@JThornton90) February 27, 2018
Bolt is a huge Manchester United fan and will realise a personal dream by stepping out onto the pitch at Old Trafford in front of thousands of adoring fans. Of course, he won’t be doing it in famous red.
Speaking via the United website, Bolt said: “It is my dream to make it as a professional footballer, so to be able to step out onto the pitch at Old Trafford in June, and play against some of football’s biggest legends is going to be remarkable.
“I enjoy the thrill of competition in front of a crowd, so Robbie and his England team better watch out as I won’t be going easy on them! I’ve got a pretty special celebration planned for when I score, by the way. My team is going to be unbeatable – and Soccer Aid for Unicef is counting on your support to make a difference to thousands of children around the world. Come and join in the fun!”
Ah well, it’ll still be cool to see him on the football pitch.
The match takes place on Sunday, 10 June.
Usain Bolt to become first player to be caught offside 1.2 seconds after k/o
— mark howsham (@MarkHowsham) February 25, 2018
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