Gareth Bale stunned Cristiano Ronaldo, impressed Usain Bolt and blew away Marc Bartra when he scored a goal like no other in the 2014 Copa del Rey final.
Bartra probably did the smart thing by cynically pushing Real Madrid’s No 11 off the pitch when he picked up the ball on halfway. But as Carlo Ancelotti appealed for the foul, Bale simply ran off the pitch, through his manager’s technical area, before sprinting back on to collect the ball – while Bartra coughed on his dust.
Poor Marc. You can see his legs tighten up as he realises the F1 car he’s racing has taken the long way round and still absolutely rinsed him.
Bale, later clocked at 21.54mph, gets to the ball so far ahead of Bartra he even has time for a dodgy first touch before holding off Barca’s centre-back (now beaten for speed and strength) and sticking the ball into the net.