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What started as a moment of fun with Absa Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Chloorkop in January laid the foundation for retired sprinter Usain Bolt to play professional football.
At the time, Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane was not sure where the player would fit into a team.
Mosimane said Bolt had the height to play goalkeeper, central defender or striker.
Initially, his attraction to football, a game he played as a youngster in Jamaica, looked like a promotional gimmick by his apparel sponsor Puma.
He posed for adverts with other Puma faces, including Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero.
During his visit here, he told the media he was preparing for trials with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.
The eight-time Olympic gold medallist seems to have realised his football dream – 13 months after retiring from track and field.
He scored a brace last week for his Australian A-League club, Central Coast Mariners, where he is on trial.
He slotted a great goal with his left foot after a great run, while shielding his marker with his right foot.
This is something many strikers fail to do.
Then he ended by doing his famous celebration that millions of fans across the world fell in love with.
The video trended on social media across the globe.
It led to the 32-year-old athletics legend being offered a two-year-deal by Maltese champions Valletta FC. He turned down the offer.
“There is a lot of interest in Usain playing football,” his agent Ricky Simms told ESPN.
“We regularly receive similar approaches.”
In response, Valletta chief executive Ghasston Slimen said: “We wish Usain Bolt all the best with his football career. The Valletta FC offer is always on the table.”
Valleta is backed financially by a group of investors from the Sanban Group in the United Arab Emirates.
With the world able to see what Bolt can do on the field, it is clear that it’s only a matter of time before he gets a suitable contract.
There have been a number of athletes who have crossed the sport code line in the past
One of the greatest athletes of our time – Michael Jordan – was able to make this transition later in his career.
After dominating basketball for many years, the icon left the sport in 1993 and switched to baseball.
He returned to basketball in 1995 and, by the time he retired a few years later, he had won six league titles with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
South African Conrad Jantjes is a sportsperson who managed to play for all three national sports – cricket, football and rugby.
As a teenage midfielder or striker, he had a trial with English Premier League club Chelsea.
When he played for the Under-17 South African national team, he played with former Everton player Steven Pienaar.
When he was in his 20s, he settled for the rugby side, and played for the Stormers.
