Football is a physically demanding sport, and the speeds players generate show this. Speed is a crucial quality a footballer can have, as the ability to outrace opponents is beneficial in particular game situations, like a counter-attack or a one-on-one battle. Over the years, some players have built a reputation for being fast and have used it to their team’s advantage. They constantly outperform slow opponents, exposing their defences while creating scoring opportunities for their teams.
Here are the top 20 fastest football players in history.
| Rank | Name | Top speed |
| 1. | Thiery Henry | 39.2 km/h |
| 2. | Kylian Mbappé | 38 km/h |
| 3. | Kyle Walker | 37.8 km/h |
| 4. | Mahmoud Trezeguet | 37.5 km/h |
| 5. | Micky Van de Ven | 37.38 km/h |
| 6. | Chiedozie Ogbene | 36.93 km/h |
| 7. | Gareth Bale | 36.90 km/h |
| 8. | Pedro Neto | 36.86 km/h |
| 9. | Dominik Szoboszlai | 36.76 km/h |
| 10. | Dara O’Shea | 36.73 km/h |
| 11. | Antonio Rüdiger | 36.72 km/h |
| 12. | Brennan Johnson | 36.70 km/h |
| 13. | Anthony Gordon | 36.68 km/h |
| 14. | Sirlord Conteh | 36.67 km/h |
| 15. | Karim Adeyemi | 36.65 km/h |
| 16. | Amadou Onana | 36.65 km/h |
| 17. | Mohamed Salah | 36.64 km/h |
| 18. | Darwin Nunez | 36.5 km/h |
| 19. | Federico Valverde | 36.3 km/h |
| 20. | Ronaldo Nazario | 36.2 km/h |
