Writing was always on the wall for Usain Bolt and his football dream

It was never going to end well for Usain Bolt after his first training session with Central Coast Mariners.

Usain Bolt visibly struggled during his early training sessions with Central Coast Mariners. Picture: AAP

It was his first session with Central Coast Mariners, but for those who know their football inside out, it delivered a telling insight into just how difficult it would be for Usain Bolt to achieve his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

No one at the A-League club will admit it, but that warm day in August at Central Coast Stadium all but sealed his fate.

Way out of his comfort zone, doubled over with hands on hips, taking in gulps of air like a fish out of water and sweat pouring from his head, Bolt looked as far removed from an elite athlete and footballer as the distance between here and the moon.

Perth Glory striker Andy Keogh summed it up earlier this week when he suggested Bolt had “the touch of a trampoline”.

His two goals in a trial match at Campbelltown — the video of which was viewed by over six million people — only delayed the inevitable. And so it proved.

“The Bolt Experiment”, ended yesterday, some 110 days after the initial story broke and 74 days after that first training session in Gosford.

Talk that the Mariners would give him as much time as needed, whether it was a month, six weeks or six months, went out the window as it became apparent quite early in his trial period that, as good as they are, there were no magicians among the Mariners coaching staff capable of turning the frog into a footballing prince.

The club announced the decision via a statement, suggesting attempts to find a sponsor to help the Mariners beef-up an offer to the superstar had failed and that the two parties had agreed on “an amicable” parting of ways.

That offer was for a $100,000, well short of the Jamaican’s reported $3 million asking price.

In truth, the Mariners knew that and as much as they are saying they were keen for him to sign, the offer was their way of putting a quick end to the situation so that they could move on.

Just where Bolt goes now remains to be seen. There was an offer of a two-year contract, with no restrictions, with Maltese club, Valletta FC, though there is a suggestion that was a furphy aimed at panicking the Mariners into making an offer.

Despite the situation not working out, Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said there were no regrets.

He played a straight bat when asked if the decision was made because of the monetary factor or Bolt’s lack of quality.

“In fairness, it was all about the timing,” he said. “It was great to see Usain grow so much with us. We knew he would be a fast learner and he showed that.

“His two goals at Campbelltown will go down in history. Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement, but the communication lines will be open and you never can say never.”