'People feel that he's that quick' - Olympic legend Usain Bolt picks Mbappe and Gareth Bale as fastest footballers to race

World's fastest man in history Usain Bolt is an admirer of fast footballers and has selected Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Welsh legend Gareth Bale as the players he would have loved to race.

Now retired, the Jamaican track legend granted an interview with BR Football where he made his preference and gave his opinion on the footballer past or present he would like to have raced against.

"I think the two that we talked about was definitely Mbappe, because people really feel like he is that quick. So, it's Mbappe and Gareth Bale," said the four-time Laureus Sports Award winner.

In March 2024, there was a viral 'disrespectful' comparison between Bolt and Mbappe after popular UK-based media firm BBC Sport posted the 100m speed of the French footballer as 10.9 seconds - relating is 'just over a second' slower than Bolt's World Record of 9.58 seconds.

This ignited lots of conversations, especially from athletics enthusiasts, who understand the magnanimous difference between both times, and using 'just over a second slower' was disrespectful to Bolt's record and legacy in the event.

Responding to the post, Bolt with multiple world records and known as the greatest track and field athlete in history had a chat with @jumpers_world founder Andreas Trajkovski.

"I know I was laughing when I saw it. The girls are running faster than that [10.9]."

For context, Mbappe's 10.9 seconds would put him joint-63rd on the women's 100m all-time list, and won't even get close to winning a medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where Sha'Carri Richardson won the 100m title in a record of 10.65s.

World Athletics governing body also joined in the conversation making a shady post on their social media pages.

"10.90? That's cute" 

Despite Mbappe's status as one of the fastest men in football, he remains way behind the extraordinary Bolt.