The essence of football lies in its unpredictability, where an unexpected move changes the course of the game and the major weapon in the arsenal of talents of football players is their speed. Be it a fast counterattack, a diagonal move across the enemy lines, or defending against an oncoming onslaught, the fastest footballers in the world usually dominate the proceedings. Let’s look at the fastest football players in the world (before they swift past our eyes) based on their average speed clocked during matches.
List of Top 10 Fastest Footballers In The World
10. Nacho Fernandez - 34.62 km/h
[Image Source: goal.com]
For a team boasting the likes of Gareth Bale and Vinicius Jr., it comes as a surprise that Nacho takes up the mantle of the fastest footballer at Real Madrid. The 30-year-old versatile defender, who has spent his entire career at Real, has found his minutes on the pitch reduced with only 9 appearances this season. However, his pace, work ethic, and versatility make him a dependable option for Zidane when called upon.
9. Alvaro Odriozola - 34.99 km/h
[Image Source: tribuna.com]
Continuing the streak of Real defenders featuring amongst the fastest footballers in the world is Odriozola, currently on loan at Bayern Munich. Though down the pecking order at Real, Odriozola, only at 24, has age and pace at his disposal to make the best out of his loan move and force his way into the first-team action.
8. Kingsley Coman - 35 km/h
[Image Source: bleacherreport.com]
Staying with Bayern, next up on the list of Top 10 Fastest Footballers is their young winger, Kingsley Coman. Trained at the Paris-Saint Germain academy and then later at Juventus, Coman moved to Bayern, initially on loan, in 2015. He had a breakout 2018-19 campaign wherein he chipped in with 10 goals in 30 appearances tormenting the Bundesliga defenders with his blistering pace.
7. Mohamed Salah - 35 km/h
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Perhaps the signing that signaled the beginning of Liverpool’s resurgence, Mo Salah has gone from being a Premier League flop with Chelsea to a Champions League winner with Liverpool. Known to be quick and tactical, Salah is one of the fastest footballers in the world, pacing up the right flank with the ability to cut back into the center to unleash shots with his stronger left foot. With a Premier League title soon to be added to the kitty (even Manchester fans have accepted this now, Both United and City!), Salah looks to be unstoppable in his prime.
6. Leroy Sane - 35.04 km/h
[Image Source: beinsports.com]
The subject of a transfer tussle between Manchester City and Bayern for almost a year now despite missing the entire season with an ACL tear, Sane’s reputation as one of the fastest footballers in the world remains intact. Leroy has taken his prodigious talents to new heights under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola with 30 goals over the last two campaigns and earning the PFA Young Player award for the 2017-18 seasons.
5. Kyle Walker - 35.21 km/h
[Image Source: vbetnews.com]
The honor of the fastest football players in the world stays within the Manchester City ranks as Sane’s teammate Walker is the next in line. Fast overlapping full-backs are integral to Pep Guardiola’s possession-based tactics and Kyle Walker is a true embodiment of that. He has been unstoppable since switching from Spurs and has raked up 100 appearances in City’s title-winning campaigns in the previous two seasons.
4. Karim Bellarabi - 35.27 km/h
[Image Source: bulinews.com]
Karim not only features high in our list of fastest footballers but is also the scorer of the fastest goal in Bundesliga history, just within 9 seconds. He has been a mainstay for Bayer Leverkusen for nearly 8 years amassing 50 goals and his guile and pace has been helping Leverkusen challenge the top dogs in the league.
3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 35.5 km/h
[Image Source: bt.com]
The podium for the fastest footballers in the world begins with the Arsenal captain. With his pace and off the ball movements, Aubameyang won the Premier League Golden Boot award for scoring 22 goals last season, which cemented his reputation as one of the best strikers in the game and we expect him to get even better. Why, because he is the Black Panther.
2. Inaki Williams - 35.7km/h
[Image Source: tellerreport.com]
Still young at 25 years of age, William has taken on the mantle of leading the line for Athletic Bilbao after club legend Aduriz announced his retirement recently. Apart from starring in the Amazon Prime Documentary ‘Six Dreams’, Inaki has also notched up the Marca Golden Goal of the Season award for his second goal against Sevilla in a 2-0 win in January 2019. The goal involved a sprint from his own half, a touch away from the opposition goalkeeper, and a precise finish at high speed, demonstrating why he is amongst the fastest footballers in the world.
1. Kylian Mbappe - 36km/h
[Image Source: newyorker.com]
It is no surprise that the poster boy of the next generation of football greats is leading the top 10 fastest footballers list. Winner of numerous accolades like the Golden Boy, Ligue 1 top scorer and Player of the Year, and a FIFA World Cup Best Young Player award, Mbappe has already scored a whopping 121 goals at club level despite his tender age of 21.
He demonstrated why he ranks top amongst the fastest footballers when he left the Argentine defense in shambles with his pace in the knockout stage of FIFA World Cup 2018. With more experience and pace expected to be added to his game in the future, Mbappe looks set to dominate the fastest footballers list for years to come.
Other notable mentions …
Technically, the title of the fastest football player in the world should be awarded to Usain Bolt, after his brief attempt at professional football after hanging his sprinting boots, with his record-breaking 100m sprint having the average speed of 37.58 km/h.
Another name deserving of mention among the fastest footballers is Achraf Hakimi. The Real Madrid owned defender, currently on loan at Dortmund is no slouch as he clocked a top speed of 36.2 km/h (a Bundesliga record) in a 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig but fell short of the other fastest footballers in our list when the average speed is taken into account.
Here is the list of Top 10 Fastest Football Players In The World
10. Nacho Fernandez - 34.62 km/h
9. Alvaro Odriozola - 34.99 km/h
8. Kingsley Coman - 35 km/h
7. Mohamed Salah - 35 km/h
6. Leroy Sane - 35.04 km/h
5. Kyle Walker - 35.21 km/h
4. Karim Bellarabi - 35.27 km/h
3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 35.5 km/h
2. Inaki Williams - 35.7km/h
1. Kylian Mbappe - 36km/h
-By Gaurav Mishra
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