He always said it, Usain Bolt. And he will be even more convinced after winning yesterday, the only one in history to do so for two consecutive Olympics, the 200m final immediately following the 100m final (and waiting for the 4×100 relay, to make a legendary double treble): he would play great in Manchester United. Yes, the football team, the one coached by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, that of Rooney and until a few years ago of Cristiano Ronaldo. That of the unforgettable George Best, of 19 English titles and three Champions Leagues.
In short, a totem of international football, almost as much as the Jamaican sprinter is in his field, athletics. But did these two terrains ever cross? Absolutely not, because no matter how fast you can run (and we don't doubt Bolt's skills on this, God forbid) the game of football is made up of many other things. Which however the "versatile" Usain is really convinced he knows how to do: "People think I'm joking, but I'm a complete player and could make a difference. Of course I would be the fastest in the team, but I also know how to play".
We will see. Meanwhile, however, Alex Ferguson's club, before being tempted by athletics, has already launched itself into the world of finance. In that case it is not unprecedented, given the many examples of sports companies listed on the Stock Exchange, even if it will be the first time for a football team in the temple of Wall Street, and with a record IPO for a company of any sport . Manchester United debuts today on the New York Stock Exchange with an overall valuation of around 2,3 billion (even if a billion less than he had hoped), and with a price - discounted - of 14 dollars per share, after the banks had indicated it between 16 and 20 dollars (but some analysts had even valued it below 10 dollars) .
Symptom of the fact that there is a certain skepticism around the listing of the company owned by the Glazers, which however does not seem to worry the US family so far: with the approximately 233 million raked in (100 less than expected) he will meanwhile pay part of the debt accumulated by buying Manchester United in 2005 for almost 1,5 billion.
Manchester United's entry into Wall Street remains a historic moment in any case: it was since 1998 that a sports club had not been listed on the stock exchange in the United States. It will now be a question of seeing what "tifo" it will find on the market: from this morning (European afternoon) the shares will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol Manu. Waiting, perhaps, to also see Usain Bolt on the pitch.
