Sportswear giant, Puma, has presented Usain Bolt with a pair of personalised boots ahead of his training spell with German outfit, Borussia Dortmund.
Bolt, nine-time Olympic gold medal winner, revealed he has been “genuinely taking to people” about a career as a professional footballer when he brings the curtains down on an extraordinary athletics career next year.
The 30-year-old also revealed there are plans in place for him to travel to Dortmund to train with Thomas Tuchel’s side to “see what happens”.
The prospect of the fastest man on the planet swapping the athletics track for a football pitch has understandably created some buzz, with Puma doing their very best to fuel the hype by designing a pair of custom-made boots for the Olympic icon, emblazoned with the Bolt name and a Jamaican flag.
Puma sponsors both Dortmund and Bolt, with Bjorn Gulden, CEO of the sportswear behemoths, on the club’s board of directors. It was Gulden who recently notified the club of Bolt’s intention to join them in training.
“We decided this some time ago,” Dortmund CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, told Kicker, insisting the arrangement was not just a publicity stunt. “For us, that’s no problem. Our coach Thomas Tuchel likes the idea as well. Of course he won’t visit us in an important week with Champions League matches, but maybe in the pre-season. We are delighted and take this as an honour.”
Bolt is a huge Manchester United fan and in the past has claimed to have discussed the idea of a trial with the club with Sir Alex Ferguson, having visited the club’s Carrington training ground following his triple success at London 2012.
Football Bolt gets customised boots for Dortmund