Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all-time, joined forces with Manchester United star Christian Eriksen for a special visit to a programme changing the lives of underprivileged youth in Manchester.
Four-time ‘Laureus World Sportsman of the Year’ Usain Bolt and 2023 ‘Laureus World Comeback of the Year’ Christian Eriksen have both been acclaimed for their outstanding contributions to their respective sports, and they took time to learn about the role sport can play in changing the lives of young people in underprivileged communities through Street League. During the visit, Usain and Christian took part in training drills, shared lessons from their own careers at the pinnacle of world sport and heard first-hand about the role football plays in helping transform the lives of young people involved in the Street League programme.
Sprint sensation Usain Bolt, also a lifelong Manchester United supporter, won an incredible eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Athletics Championships gold medals in a glittering career. His 100m world record of 9.58 seconds and 200m world record of 19.19 seconds set at the World Athletics Championships in 2009 still stand to this day. Usain’s dominance over his sport saw him win the ‘Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award’ in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2017.
The fastest man of all time, Usain Bolt, said: “I’ve heard about the work of Laureus and Nelson Mandela’s vision that ‘sport has the power to change the world’ attending the Laureus Awards over the years so it was special to see those words in action here in Manchester today.
“Laureus supports programmes like Street League to help build confidence and resilience in young people through sport and that’s something I’ve experienced in my own life. If I had one message for the kids I met today, it would be: ‘Don’t think limits, anything is possible’.”
Danish midfield maestro Christian Eriksen has spent his career at the top of global football, representing Ajax, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan and Brentford before signing for Manchester United in 2022. A stalwart of his national team, he is Denmark’s most capped male player with 142 caps.
In June 2021, Christian collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match versus Finland. His inspirational return to football was recognised with the ‘Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award’ at the 2023 Laureus Awards.
Denmark and Manchester United star Christian Eriksen, said: “Life is very important, which was part of my speech back in 2023 when I received the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award and it’s true in the work programmes like Street League that Laureus supports around the world.
“Laureus’ message of sport having the power to change young people’s lives is one I fully support, and what an honour to spend time with one of Manchester United’s biggest and definitely fastest supporters in Usain Bolt.” Street League uses the power of football to tackle poverty and give young people the opportunities they need to succeed in life.
Its unique approach uses sport to help build resilience, confidence, education and employability skills in young people aged 16-30, living in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.
Chief Executive of Street League, Dougie Stevenson, said: “It means a great deal to have such prominent and inspirational figures like Usain and Christian visit Street League, amplifying our mission of using sport and education to help young people into work.
“Their encouraging words will motivate so many more of our young people to make positive changes in their lives and the impact of their visit will last long in our memories. It’s a huge honour for Street League to be shortlisted for the 2025 Laureus Sport for Good Award, and I’d like to share a special message of thanks to our partners at Laureus for making this transformational visit happen.”
The ‘Laureus Sport for Good Award’ is presented each year at the Laureus World Sports Awards to an organisation who, in the opinion of the 69 sporting legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy – the guardians of Sport for Good – have made a significant contribution to transforming the lives of children and young people through sport.
Joining Street League on the ‘Laureus Sport for Good Award’ shortlist in 2025 are: Kick4Life, a charity using football to reach at-risk children and young people in Lesotho; Figure Skating in Harlem – based in the New York neighbourhood of the same name – uses figure skating to help girls grow in confidence, leadership and academic achievement; Kind Surf, a project employing surf therapy to support young people at risk of social exclusion due to intellectual disabilities in Spain; Liberi Nantes, based in Rome, Italy, offers a range of activities including touch rugby, hiking and Italian language teaching through sport; Paris Basket 18 began as a neighbourhood basketball club and now has an extensive outreach into its community.
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