11 facts you didn't know about Gareth Bale

#9 He has been an incredibly fast runner his entire life

Bale is one of the fastest players on the planet

When Bale was just a 14-year-old in high school, he managed to set a pace of 11.4 seconds in the 100m dash; a feat made all the more impressive when you consider that Usain Bolt’s current world record for the 100-metre sprint stands at 9.58 seconds.

While we all have been treated to his blitzing runs on the football pitch and it seems abundantly clear how quick he is with the ball at his feet – something then Barcelona and now Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra learned the hard way in the Copa del Rey final of 2014 – it was made official when he was declared the fastest player in the world after a FIFA-endorsed study by Mexican club Pachuca, saw him clock a top speed of almost 26.9 kmph with the ball at his feet.