Germany’s 2014 FIFA World Cup hero Mario Gotze admits he was shocked by Usain Bolt’s football ability during the Jamaican’s trial at Borussia Dortmund earlier this year.
Bolt is currently on trial with the Central Coast Mariners as he tries to earn his first contract in football with the Hyundai A-League club.
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It’s not the first time the world’s fastest man has trialled with a club, spending two days at German giants Dortmund back in March.
It was there that Gotze – who scored Germany’s winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina – got his first look of Bolt as a footballer.
“It was very interesting to have Usain Bolt here. Just to meet him in person and to see an athlete from a different kind of sport come here to try to play soccer,” Gotze told Omnisport.
“It was very interesting and really cool to see that.
“For sure you notice that he comes from another kind of sport, that he did athletics and that he works very straightforward on the field. You definitely noticed that.
“But he did quite well. I have to admit that I expected him to be worse.
“It’s was pretty nice that he was here, especially because of what he reached in his sport. That’s phenomenal.”
While Bolt’s trial didn’t end with him earning a deal with Dortmund, he’s hoping to fulfil his dream of playing professionally with the Mariners.
The 32-year-old played 20 minutes in a friendly in Gosford last month and will get back to work with the Mariners this weekend on his return from a sponsorship commitment in France.
Asked Bolt’s chances of making it in the Hyundai A-League, Gotze said: “I think he can make it.
“I don’t really know the level of the Australian league and I don’t know the teams there.
“But sure, he is a sportsman and he has a lot of abilities that are important to be successful in football, too.”
