Talk of eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt’s impending trial with the Central Coast Mariners has gone right around the globe.
Elsewhere, Mark Rudan has taken charge of his first game as Wellington Phoenix boss while Melbourne City are about to embark on a club-first this pre-season.
CONFIRMED: Mariners in negotiations with Usain Bolt
READ: What Bolt must do to secure Mariners deal
It’s all in our Hyundai A-League Paper Talk.
BOLT’S POTENTIAL MARINERS LINK GOES GLOBAL
While there’s still a little bit of water to go under the bridge before we see him in the Hyundai A-League, news of 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt’s possible move to Gosford is making waves around the world.
Bolt, a Manchester United fan who attended Monday morning’s (AEST) FIFA World Cup final in Moscow, retired from the track after the world championships in London last year.
He has always had a desire to try his luck as a footballer and has previously trialled with German giants Borussia Dortmund and Stromsgodset in Norway.
Check out where news of the Jamaican’s potential deal with the Mariners – on a six-week trial – has made headlines.
The world’s fastest man wants to play soccer for Australia’s smallest club https://t.co/cxoNMwrmU8
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) July 17, 2018
Usain Bolt in talks with Central Coast Mariners over six-week trial with A-League side https://t.co/nxhr8OQn1g pic.twitter.com/F0ysrBk8h3
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) July 17, 2018
Usain Bolt may play football trial in Australia https://t.co/d0n9teiMFu
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 17, 2018
Usain Bolt is in talks for trials with Australian A-League club Central Coast Mariners as he hopes to become a professional footballer https://t.co/wqDCPEGcXs via @cnnsport pic.twitter.com/4qqF3HUQRJ
— CNN (@CNN) July 17, 2018
It's not often an eight-time Olympic champion plays in the A-League! 😳
Usain Bolt is negotiating a six-week trial in Australia.
👉 https://t.co/GWI4P7Ob28 pic.twitter.com/5GyWt2NNJK
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2018
RUDAN MAKES PERFECT START WITH PHOENIX
With Usain Bolt, Tim Cahill and the Westfield Matildas dominating the headlines on Tuesday, Mark Rudan’s first match in charge of Wellington almost went unnoticed.
For the record, Rudan’s Phoenix career started with a 1-0 friendly win over Wairarapa United, with exciting teenager Sarpreet Singh grabbing the only goal.
It came inside the first 10 minutes, with some great play down the left by Nathan Burns ending with Singh receiving the ball in the box and firing off a shot, which beat the keeper with the aid of a deflection.
Wellington also missed a second-half penalty in a match that featured mostly some of the club’s youngsters and triallists.
FULL TIME | Final whistle goes at the Memorial Trust Park in Masterton as the #Nix get the win thanks to an early goal. Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to support the teams. (1-0)#COYN #WAIvWEL pic.twitter.com/xgQfyc0Zcn
— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/kiwibardy/status/1019094411450376193
CITY SET FOR INDIAN TAKEOFF
Melbourne City will head into unchartered territory on Thursday, when they head to India for a pre-season tournament.
Warren Joyce will take a mix of established stars and emerging youngsters to Kochi, where they will take on Indian outfit Kerala Blasters and La Liga’s Girona FC.
Left-back Scott Jamieson is part of the squad heading to the sub-continent and believes the trip is just what the side needs to prepare for the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season.
“I think for players the pre-season is such a long one that you don’t really want to be in the same environment for so long,” Jamieson said on Melbourne City’s website.
Our coaching team putting the squad through their paces. 💪 pic.twitter.com/KSnZ8I3Pn1
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) July 17, 2018
“[We’re] going to India for a fantastic tournament, one where we get to experience a different culture, different style of football, and also spread our brand, Melbourne City but also the City Football brand over there [which] is something we’re really appreciative of.”
“For the new players coming in it’s also a case of them being able to integrate [into the team] pretty quickly.
“Being away from home is always a case of getting to know people a lot quicker than usual so we’re all really excited.”