Cristiano Ronaldo's sprint training with 100m world record holder Usain Bolt looks to have paid off, as a study by a German magazine has shown him to be the fastest player in the world when running with the ball.

The weekly publication Der Spiegel looked at the speed which which a host of Europe's elite run with the ball at their feet, and the £80million Real Madrid star clocked at an impressive 33.6km per hour (20.88mph).

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben came second at 32.9 kmph, ahead of England duo Theo Walcott (32.7) and Wayne Rooney (32.6), while Arsenal hitman Robin Van Persie was fifth at 32.1kmph.

Shockingly the study showed that Barcelona superstar and recent Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is not among the five quickest players in the world.

It has to be said that the study is far from conclusive, as if everyone were taken into account you would have to fancy the likes of Tottenham's Aaron Lennon and Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips to be up there.

However, it is Ronaldo who takes the plaudits on this occasion, and in tribute here is a video of the man himself using that raw pace to outrun a Bugatti Veyron!