Speed in soccer isn’t just about looking flashy on a breakaway; it’s a competitive advantage that changes what’s possible. And you have no idea how fast some players truly are, either! Truly rapid feet turn a harmless through ball into a chance. They can erase danger with one recovery run. With that in mind, here are five players who’ve posted eye-watering top speeds, and why that pace matters when you’re cheering from the stands.
Micky van de Ven
Don’t blink while Tottenham’s center back opens his stride—you’ll miss the moment physics gives up. He’s been clocked at 37.38 km/h in the Premier League, which is the league’s fastest recorded sprint since its tracking began.
Kyle Walker
When you watch him run, you realize that Walker’s speed is basically an emergency service. He hit 37.31 km/h in a Premier League match, and that ability to recover from hairy situations has been a defining part of his game for years.
Chiedozie Ogbene
Ogbene brings the kind of pace that makes defenders turn their hips early, which is exactly what he wants. The Premier League has recorded him at 36.93 km/h, and once he’s running at you, the whole matchup starts to feel way less fair for the other guy.
Anthony Elanga
Elanga’s acceleration has a strange simplicity to it: he spots grass, and suddenly it belongs to him. He’s been measured at 36.91 km/h in the Premier League, and that burst is tailor-made for transitions where one sprint can flip a game’s chances.
Achraf Hakimi
Hakimi’s speed is especially unfair because he uses it in both directions; you can’t relax when he’s high up the field. In the Champions League, he’s been listed as the fastest player in a season at 36.9 km/h, and that number turns overlapping runs into outright attacks.
