DORTMUND, Germany: Multiple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt had the chance to show off his football skills on Friday, nutmegging an opponent and scoring with a header as he trained with Borussia Dortmund in front of a cheering crowd.
Some 1,500 people were in the stands of Dortmund’s training ground in the suburb of Brackel for the morning session and dozens of reporters and camera crews were spread along the sideline as Bolt entered the pitch alongside players Mario Goetze and Julian Weigl.
Bolt, who also trained with the team behind closed doors on Thursday afternoon, warmed up with the Dortmund players as fans, some waving Jamaica flags, cheered on a chilly and overcast Ruhr valley morning.
Bolt, playing alongside World Cup winner Goetze and US international Christian Pulisic, then delighted his supporters as he nutmegged an opponent, knocking the ball through his legs, and scored with a fine header as coach Peter Stoeger gave him a thumbs-up.
“It was good. I had fun with the guys and they were very welcoming,” Bolt, who signed dozens of autographs, told reporters after his one-hour workout.
Dortmund, who are not in action until March 31 due to the international break, share the same sponsor, Puma, as Bolt, and had agreed in January to let the retired athlete train with the team.
The 31-year-old, an eight-times Olympic gold medallist and a big Manchester United supporter who ended his sprint career last year, joked after a charity match on Thursday that he hoped his Dortmund appearance would lead to a contract with the Premier League club.
He will participate in a charity match at United’s Old Trafford in June. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
