"If Alex Ferguson saw me he might think I could replace Ryan Giggs" - When Manchester United fan Usain Bolt made bold claim about his soccer talents

Usain Bolt once claimed that if former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had seen him play football, he might have thought that the Olympic champion could replace Ryan Giggs. The Jamaican sprinter boasts impressive footballing skills and was once set to sign with Australian side Central Coast Mariners following his retirement.

Bolt has been a lifelong United fan. The eight-time Olympic champion opened up about his interest in signing with the club in his 2010 autobiography, 'Faster Than Lightning: My Autobiography', and wrote:

"Ideally, if I was to play football, I'd sign for my favorite team -- Manchester United. People say it's not realistic but nobody has seen me play so you never know. If Alex Ferguson saw me in one of those charity matches he might think I could replace Ryan Giggs."

While Bolt's claims were laughed off, the 11-time World Champion had a strong belief in himself and thought he was on a similar level as some of the Red Devils' stars.

"I thought that if some players – I'm not going to name names, you know them – if they can play football, I can probably do it too," Usain Bolt told Jamaican radio station Irie FM in 2021 [as quoted by TalkSport]

The 100m world record holder eventually set off to pursue his soccer dreams following his retirement in 2017. He spent nearly two years training with with clubs in South Africa, Norway, and Germany including Borussia Dortmund, and was set to join Australian side Central Coast Mariners before turning down a contract after a trial.

The 38-year-old eventually gave up on the dream of playing professional soccer in 2019 but continues to play in the charity matches. He has captained the 'World XI' in several Soccer Aid matches with the most recent appearance dating back to June 2024 when he ruptured his Achilles.

---

Usain Bolt made a bold prediction about Manchester United's chances of winning the 2024/25 Premier League

2024 Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid - Usain Bolt speaks (Source: Getty)

Usain Bolt was in awe of Manchester United's performance against Liverpool on January 5 and claimed if they continued to play in the same way, they could end their Premier League title drought this season. Although the match was tied 2-2, the Jamaican sprinter was all praise of the fight and determination shown by the Red Devils.

"If we can play with this fight every game @ManUtd will win the league," he declared in a post on X.

While United have since won both of their matches, they are currently standing 13th in the league with 17 matches to go, and Jamaican's prediction is highly unlikely to come true this season.