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Cristiano Ronaldo has been reported to be the fastest elite player in football, according to a German study. Is it a bird? Is it a plane?...No, it's Cristiano Ronaldo." The Portuguese flyer is the fastest elite player in world football according to a study conducted by the weekly German magazine Der Spiegel. The study indicates that, in his boots, Cristiano Ronaldo is the fastest elite player in the world, reaching an average speed of 33.6 kilometres per hour (20.88 mph), a quality he uses to full effect by blowing past defenders. According to the study, Ronaldo supercedes Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben (32.9 kph), Arsenal's Theo Walcott (32.7 kph), Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (32.6 kph) and Arsenal's Robin Van Persie (32.1 kph). Barcelona's Balon d'Or winner Lionel Messi did not rate amongst the top five fastest players. CR9's blazing pace has already been well documented, former coach Sir Alex Ferguson having claimed that "Ronaldo is just as fast with the ball as he is without it... maybe even faster". Should he train with his good friend and multi world-record holding sprinter Usain Bolt, Cristiano could soon further increase his speed as he has expressed interest in working with the Jamaican and has already received advice from the sprinter with respect to efficiently using one's centre of gravity.