How Usain Bolt predicted Wayne Rooney’s downfall

One person who would not have been too surprised by the tabloid allegations that have engulfed Wayne Rooney this week is sprinter Usain Bolt - who has shown that he has an aptitude for psychology as well as sports.

In an interview published in the Guardian less than two weeks ago the Jamaican sprinter predicted Rooney's impending doom at the hands of the tabloids - and prostitute Jennifer Thompson - with eerie foresight.

Bolt bemoaned the intrusion of the press into the lives of high profile sportsmen in Britain and also expressed dismay at the pressure on them to 'conform' and settle down. He even used England footballers and Rooney in particular as examples.

He told interviewer Simon Hattenstone: "I wouldn't get married now. It would be awful. Wayne Rooney's the same age as me – he's married and got a kid. I don't think these guys are ready to get married yet."

Bolt, who is happy to be young, free, single, and in this case right, added: "There's less stress on me. If they say, 'I saw Usain out with a girl last night', whatever, cos I'm not married."

Turning on the media he described the British press as "awful" and accused them of being "rough on everybody".

"You put people under so much pressure," he said. "You guys set [footballers] up by saying they've got to get married early. That's the English way. But you're not ready to settle down, and that's where all the girlfriends come in, and all the problems. You do not want to get married at 22! Especially if you're famous, because girls are going to be throwing themselves at you."

In the same interview Bolt, who is 24, made it clear that as a young man he felt he had every right to enjoy himself. That is something Premier League footballers are actively discouraged from doing thanks to the attentions of the tabloid press.

"With me, people say he's always partying – well, I do party," said Bolt. "I work hard, and I do good, and I'm going to enjoy myself. I'm not going to let you restrict me. That's when the stress comes in, that's when you start to lose it."

'Lose it' would appear to be what Rooney did when he slept with a prostitute. But as Bolt suggests, the pressure on players helps explain why they fall off the wagon so spectacularly when they do let their hair down.

There is one person who would disagree with Bolt, though. Rooney's club boss Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot, whose upbringing in post-war Govan is as far removed from Bolt's childhood in rural Jamaica as it is possible to get, is an advocate of marriage.

"It helps them settle down. It's good for the stability of a footballer" he says.

Bolt may want to take note of Ferguson's opinions as he has expressed a desire to become a footballer and play alongside Rooney for Manchester United when he is finished with athletics. ·