Arjen Robben is the fastest footballer in the world after rapid sprint for Holland against Spain at World Cup 2014

Arjen Robben looked as if he was embarrassing Sergio Ramos when beating the hapless Spaniard in a straight foot race as Holland humiliated the world champions.  

The Real Madrid defender was left trailing in his wake as Robben stormed through; it appeared Ramos was leggy, only for FIFA statistics to later reveal that the 37km per hour sprint was the fastest ever recorded by a footballer. 

Iker Casillas could then only watch as the Dutchman danced beyond him to score his second sumptuous goal of the night. But while the finish was perfect in its execution, the foot race preceding it was even more impressive. 

Robben chased on to a ball from his own half, always half a yard ahead of Ramos, before finessing to slot beyond the goalkeeper.  The incident summed up the gulf in class between Louis van Gaal and Vicente Del Bosque's sides during their opening game. 

Spanish daily AS were understandably fuming the morning after, but tempered the mood when they chose to splash on the news that Robben could rival some of the best in athletics on Tuesday morning as his peak speed is just seven km/h slower than Usain Bolt. They also claim that the 30-year-old has surpassed Theo Walcott's previous record of 35.7kmph, while Cristiano Ronaldo is only sixth in the list of the fastest ever. 

Antonio Valencia is fractions quicker than Gareth Bale, with Wayne Rooney in the top eight with a top speed of 32.1km/h.  Lionel Messi is just ahead of the England striker, with Aaron Lennon the fifth quickest at 33.8km/h.

Here are the top eight sprinters in world football: Arjen Robben: 37 km/h, Theo Walcott 35.7, Antonio Valencia 35.2, Gareth Bale 34.7, Aaron Lennon 33.8, Cristiano Ronaldo 33.6, Lionel Messi 32.5, Wayne Rooney 32.1