It was one of the more unexpected social media posts of the Premier League season.
It came from Burnley and showed a visitor to the club’s training ground smiling in front of a slogan reading: “It’s a way of life.”
This, however, was no ordinary guest: this was Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medal winner, the holder of world records in the men’s 100m and 200m, and one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet.
The Jamaican has dabbled in the footballing world since retiring from athletics in 2017, but his visit to the struggling Premier League side was not to discuss becoming their new No 9.
Instead, Bolt was attending Burnley under-21s’ 4-3 victory over Stockport County, who were fielding Che Gardner, the son of the sprinter’s close friend Ricardo, a former footballer who made over 400 appearances for Bolton and spent 11 years in the Premier League.
Gardner and Bolt’s friendship has grown over the years, including a shared love of music, which has seen them work together on various projects.
“We met ages ago just from being two sportsmen from Jamaica. We both represented our country so got to know each other and we’ve remained good friends,” Gardner tells The Athletic. “He’s become closer to the family as time has gone on. In Jamaica, the way we operate, Che would consider him his uncle. He’s not his actual uncle, but it is just out of respect.”
Gardner’s son Che is a first-team scholar for Stockport County and made a brief late cameo in the game on Wednesday.
Whenever Bolt has commitments in Europe, he will try to visit the Gardner family and if possible see Che in action. In March 2023, Bolt attended an under-15 game between Blackburn Rovers — where Che was on trial — and Burnley.
Stockport celebrated promotion to League One after being crowned League Two champions earlier this month. The club is on an upwards trajectory and Gardner praised the work that is going on at all levels of the club having seen it first-hand through his son.
Keen to not miss out on the opportunity of recruiting Bolt, Burnley minority owner and NFL legend JJ Watt shared Burnley’s image of Bolt with his own message.
Watt was referencing Burnley’s participation in The Soccer Tournament (TST) held in America this summer. Watt is captaining Burnley’s men’s team, while his wife, former USWNT forward and fellow minority owner Kealia, is captaining the women’s team.
Whether Bolt takes up that invitation is yet to be seen. In the meantime, Burnley are simply happy for his star power.
(Top photo: Burnley FC)