Blog

Speed in football is one of the most athletic factors players need to create goal-scoring opportunities. A team having some quickest players on the field of play is advantageous since the player enables the team to transition quickly and may even surprise the opponents during a counterattack and score, most of the quickest players are normally the first to pick up loose balls. Football has always been about speed, stamina and skills which is why footballers prepare physically and mentally during training for the match days.

Some players have even earned fame due to their speed at the top level of the game, most of them players are even feared especially by defenders when it comes to pace in case of a long pass or loose balls. Most of the pacey players are the wingers and sometimes strikers and there is no substitute for the raw pace of a fast winger or striker. Here is a list of the top seven fastest football players in the modern era across the most-watched Leagues in Europe:

KARIM ADEYEMI – 37.6 KM/H

The German footballer who plays as a winger or forward for the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Adeyemi made his debut for the Germany senior team in September 2021, he came in as a late substitute and scored the sixth goal for his side when they defeated Armenia 6-0 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifications. He scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League on 1^st October 2024 against Celtic when they won 7-1.

MICKY VAN DE VEN – 37.4 KM/H

The Dutch professional footballer who plays as a center-back or left-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He was awarded Tottenham’s Player of the Season award in May 2024 and has a total of seven senior career goals so far since 2019.

NUNO MENDES – 37.2 KM/H

Mendes plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain and the Portugal National team, he has made a total of 33 appearances with no goal for his National team.

ANTHONY ELANGA – 36.9 KM/H

The Nottingham Forest winger is among the fastest players in the Premier League, he made his debut for Sweden in 2022 and has scored three goals for the National team. Elanga has only played in the Premier League in his entire senior career scoring a total of 8 goals since 2021. Before moving to Nottingham he played for Manchester United.

SIRLORD CONTEH – 36.7KM/H

The German professional footballer who plays as a winger for Bundesliga club FC Heidenheim. Conteh began his professional career debut for a third-tier football club FC Magdeburg. Conteh scored his first goal for Heidenheim in a UEFA Conference League match against Hearts on November 2024 as they won the game 2-0.

CARLOS FORBS – 36.6 KM/H

The Portuguese professional footballer plays as a winger for Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers but is on loan from Ajax. He has only made three appearances for Wolves this season with no goals record.

ACHRAF HAKIMI – 36.5 KM/H

Hakimi is a right winger who plays for Ligue 1 club PSG and the Morocco national team and is widely regarded as the best full-backs in the world. Hakimi has had a successful journey in his early life career even winning the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in the 2017/18 season, he has a total of 39 career goals from 298 appearances.

 Is Lionel Messi faster than Cristiano Ronaldo? Let us know in the comment sections.