Who is the fastest football player in the world?

1. Mbappé: 38.5 kilometres per hour

It’s not very surprising that Mbappé is the fastest footballer on European football fields. He reached a top speed of 38.5 kilometres per hour in a match against his former club AS Monaco in 2019. Many people compare him to Usain Bolt, but that’s a rather premature comparison. This is due to the fact that his average speed in the 100-meter sprint is 37.6 kilometres per hour, but his top speed was 44.7 kilometres per hour.

2. Darwin Núñez: 38 kilometres per hour

Liverpool's great purchase still has some difficulty finding the goal, but he has broken a record. He is the Premier League's fastest football player in all time. He ran 38 kilometres per hour in a game against West Ham United which ended in 1-0.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan was trained at the local Penarol and was taken over by the Spanish Almería. He then transferred to Benfica, which didn't last long. Núñez departed to Liverpool only two seasons after Benfica had bought him.

3. Kyle Walker: 37.8 kilometres per hour

Englishman Kyle Walker is the Premier League’s fastest ever defender with a top speed of 37.8 kilometres per hour. The international moved from Tottenham to The Citizens in 2017. Even though Walker can play both on the right side and left side of the field, Pep Guardiola usually positions him on the right side of the field as defender.

Due to Walker’s speed and strength, he is seen as one of the best football players to defend legends like Mbappé and Neymar.

4. Adama Traoré: 37.7 kilometres per hour

Whereas players like Mbappé and Núñez have many more skills besides running, this is not the case for Wolverhampton player Adama Traoré. The extremely muscled Spaniard is mostly known for his extraordinary sprints. It doesn’t seem like he’s up to it because of his posture, but he’s truly unstoppable.

The footballer recently claimed that he’d oil himself with baby oil, so his opponents wouldn’t be able to get a grip on him. Traoré also played at Barcelona, Aston villa, Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton.

5. Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 37.7 kilometres per hour

Defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka is one of the fastest defenders in the world with a top speed of 37.6 kilometres per hour. The English defender made his debut at Crystal Palace. Manchester United paid around 55 million euros to buy the right-footed player in the summer of 2019. The young man impresses many fans with his speed, but that's about it.

6. Antonio Rudiger: 36.7 kilometres per hour

Sports data agency Opta stated in March 2020 on Twitter that Antonio Rudiger broke Mohammed Salah's record, who was that year the Premier League’s fastest footballer. He broke that record in March 2022 when he played at Chelsea in a match against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The tall defender is from Sierra Leoon and was trained at Dortmund and Stuttgart. After having played for Roma and Chelsea, he arrived at Real Madrid. His contract lasts until 2026.

7. Jeremiah St. Juste: 36.6 kilometres per hour

The Dutch defender Jeremiah St. Juste set a top speed record of 36.5 kilometres per hour in 2021 when he played at Mainz. He was the Bundesliga’s fastest football player because of that. The Dutchman now plays at Sporting CP, in the warm Portugal.

The defender formerly played at Heerenveen, Feyenoord and Mainz. The 26-year-old is still waiting to make his debut in the Dutch national team.

8. Ousmana Dembélé: 36.6 kilometres per hour

Barcelona player Ousmane Dembélé is La Liga’s fastest football player. He’s one of the fastest football players despite of having had many injuries. He could pass Mbappé’s record if he stays fit. Dembélé is only 25 years old and didn’t suffer from any injuries the last couple of years.

The Frenchman made his debut at Stade Rennais, moved to Dortmund afterwards and was eventually bought by Barcelona. He scored 23 goals in 116 matches.

9. Mykhailo Mudryk: 36.6 kilometres per hour

The only 22-year-old Mudryck is one of Europe’s greatest football talents. The Ukrainian footballer moved from Shakhtar Donesk to Chelsea last transfer window. The London club paid 70 million euros for the left-footed forward. His top speed of 36.6 kilometres per hour was measured in a Champions League game. Who knows what the young adult can still achieve in the coming years.

10. Mohammed Salah: 36.6 kilometres per hour

It’s not very surprising that the Egyptian Mohammed Salah is amongst this list of fastest football players. The 30-year-old is known for his speed, dribbles, agility and great shots. Since his arrival at Liverpool in 2017, nobody has managed to get him out of the fixed selection. The curly-haired conquered Anfield in his first season by scoring 32 goals.

Mohammed Salah was trained in Egypt and made his debut at FC Basel. He played at Chelsea and AS Roma afterwards. Few people expected Salah to get this good but the fact that he ran fast was already established for a long time.