Usain Bolt has turned down Valletta FC's offer to sign a two-year contract with them, ESPN reports.
Bolt's agent confirmed he opted against taking up their offer, the website said.
"There is a lot of interest in Usain playing football," Ricky Simms was quoted as saying. "We regularly receive similar approaches. I can confirm Usain does not wish to pursue this opportunity in Malta."
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Earlier
As the A-League begins its 14th season, the biggest question in Australia seems to be: Will he or won't he?
"He" is the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, who retired from track and field competition last year with eight Olympic sprint gold medals and world records in the 100- and 200-meters.
Those are marks he set at the Berlin world championships in 2009, and both records still stand as Bolt attempts to become a professional soccer player with the Central Coast Mariners.
The 32-year-old Jamaican scored two goals in his starting debut for the Mariners in a trial game last Friday. He still doesn't have a football contract, but the Mariners tweeted a video of his first goal and it has been watched more than six million times, giving a fair indication of the worldwide interest in Bolt's career change.
Bolt's two-goal performance ignited the interest of several European clubs, most particularly Malta's Valletta FC.
The club's chief executive officer Ghasston Slimen told Australian media that he has offered Bolt a two-year contract. Valletta is owned by the Abu Dhabi-based Sanban Investment Group. "We play the final of the Super Cup on Dec. 13 ... so can you imagine Usain Bolt lifting the Super Cup trophy 10 years after he broke the record in Beijing? It will be history and it should happen."
Bolt is in Australia on an extended trial period, and Mariners' coaching staff might not make a decision until January on his fulltime status with the club. Another indication that Bolt's status with the team — and league— may not be a long-lasting one: A-League brass didn't include a mention of Bolt in new releases for the official season launch on Monday.
On the weekend, a disgruntled Bolt complained on his social media account that he was ordered to take a doping test. "So guys, I've retired from track and field looking to become a footballer but look at this," he posted as he posed with an official pink slip. "How am I going to get a drug test today? I'm not even a professional footballer yet."