Despite insisting he's had no pre-season and being worried about his fitness, Bale was clocked sprinting at 40kmph in last Sunday’s draw with Villarreal - almost 25 mph just 2 mph behind Usain Bolt at world record speed.

Bale’s best burst of pace came on the hour in that 1-1 draw against Villarreal when he made a 20m dash down the right-hand side of Madrid’s attack before pulling the ball back from the byline and crashing into the advertising hoardings at the Madrigal stadium.

This all comes despite Bale revealing concerns over his fitness and admitted he has had 'zero pre-season' training to prepare for his first Spanish campaign.