Soccer’s emphasis on physical prowess is nothing new. To play at their best, players wake up and calm their minds before games. A good soccer team needs fast players who must be physically capable of challenging the opponent.
Being able to do this is crucial in soccer, and every player should possess it. The player’s other skills are irrelevant if he can’t keep up with the rest of his squad and contribute to the effort. The following athletes currently hold the title of the world’s fastest soccer players:
10. Kyle Walker
Top Speed: 21.89 miles per hour
Position: Right-back
Team: Manchester City
Country: England
photo source: Sky Sports
Kyle Walker began his youth career with Sheffield United FC and made his professional debut on January 13, 2009, against Leyton Orient in the third round of the FA Cup. In 2009, Walker departed the club to join Tottenham Hotspur. On March 27, 2010, he debuted for the Lilywhites against Portsmouth.
After a few loan stints, he made his Spurs debut during the 2011-12 season. After that, the Englishman continued to improve and became a crucial component for the Spurs. In the summer of 2017, Manchester City purchased him in one of English history’s most expensive inter-club transfers.
Did You Know:
In November 2011, Kyle Walker debuted for England against Spain as a substitute for Scot Parker.
9. Karim Bellarabi
Top Speed: 21.98 miles per hour Position: Winger Team: Bayer Leverkusen Country: Germany
photo source: Bundesliga News
Karim Bellarabi, born on April 8, 1990, is a professional footballer for the Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the German national team. In 2008, Bellarabi signed with Eintracht Braunschweig’s U-19 squad. He made his senior debut in the 2008–09 season, followed by two more league appearances in the 2009–10 season.
Bellarabi moved from Bundesliga club Braunschweig to Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the end of the season. He missed most of the 2012–13 Bundesliga season due to injury. On loan for a year, he returned to Eintracht Braunschweig in 2013 from Leverkusen, where he had previously played in the Bundesliga.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Bellarabi returned to Leverkusen. On August 23, 2014, he scored the Bundesliga’s quickest goal in under 9 seconds.
Did You Know:
Bellarabi has been a German under-20 and under-21 national junior teams member.
8. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Top Speed: 22.09 miles per hour Position: Striker Team: Chelsea Country: France
photo source: Sky Sports
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gained his reputation in European football while playing for Borussia Dortmund, where Thomas Tuchel managed him for 4.5 years.
In 2011, he relocated to Saint-Étienne. There, he won the Coupe de la Ligue, and in 2013, he joined Borussia Dortmund. Aubameyang ended as the league’s leading scorer in 2016–17 in Germany and won the DFB-Pokal. He is also the club’s seventh-leading scorer of all time.
During the January 2018 transfer window, Arsenal paid £56 million to acquire Aubameyang. As a result of a mutually agreeable termination of his contract with Arsenal in 2022, Aubameyang transferred to Barcelona.
After signing with Chelsea after the summer transfer window, he returned to the Premier League.
Did You Know:
Aubameyang was awarded African Footballer of the Year in 2016, becoming the first Gabonese and second European-born player to receive the honor.
7. Iñaki Williams
Top Speed: 22.13 miles per hour Position: Forward Team: Athletic Bilbao Country: Spain
photo source: Athletic Club
Iñaki Williams, born in Spain to Ghanaian parents, made his Spain national team debut in 2016. He began his young soccer career at the youth program of Natación Pamplona. Athletic Bilbao’s scouts discovered him while he was playing for Pamplona. He guided Athletic Bilbao to the 2015 Supercopa de España triumph over Barcelona. The team finished as runners-up in the Copa del Rey event that year.
Williams’ second goal in Athletic’s 2-0 home win against Sevilla in the 2018-2019 season stands out as one of his best. He collected the ball in the half-circle, flicked it past his defender, outran the defender to the ball, and went around the keeper before scoring. In 2022, he opted to represent Ghana internationally and was chosen for the 2022 World Cup.
Did You Know:
Iñaki Williams is proficient in Spanish, Akan, Basque, and English.
6. Erling Haaland
Top Speed: 22.39 miles per hour Position: Striker Team: Manchester City Country: Norway
photo source: Sky Sports
Last season, Erling Haaland had a league-record high speed of 22.39 mph. The 22-year-old attacker is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most promising offensive talents. He began his career with Bryne FK before transferring to Molde.
Then, in 2018, he signed with Red Bull Salzburg before departing Austria in December 2019 to join Borussia Dortmund in Germany. In the summer of 2022, Haaland transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City.
During the 2019–20 season, he became the first youngster to score in five straight UEFA Champions League matches while playing for Salzburg. He led the Champions League in scoring during the 2020–21 season.
Haaland received the Golden Boy award in 2020, Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021, and was nominated to the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2021. Haaland has represented Norway at different levels of junior competition and earned his senior debut in 2019.
Did You Know:
Haaland has mentioned enjoying meditation, and his signature goal celebration resembles the “zen” position.
5. Kylian Mbappe
Top Speed: 22.42 miles per hour Position: Forward Team: Paris Saint-Germain Country: France
photo source: Eurosport
Kylian Mbappé, born in Paris and reared in neighboring Bondy, began his professional club career in 2015 with Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 championship. In 2017, at 18, Mbappé secured a permanent transfer with Paris Saint-Germain for €180 million, making him the second-most expensive player and the most expensive teenager.
On December 2, 2015, he made his professional debut with Monaco in France’s Ligue 1 match against SM Caen.
In 2017, at 18, Mbappé made his international debut for France. Mbappé became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup and the second adolescent, after Pelé, to score in the World Cup Final at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
France reached the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup; Mbappé won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball and established a record for the most goals scored in World Cup finals.
Did You Know:
Kylian Mbappé has been given many accolades, including the Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year.
4. Marcus Rashford
Top Speed: 22.55 miles per hour Position: Forward Team: Manchester United Country: England
photo source: Football London
During a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the 23-year-old English superstar achieved a season-high speed of 22.55 mph. In 2016, Marcus Rashford made his professional debut with Manchester United in a 5-1 triumph. He scored twice in the second half of his first game, establishing his presence.
On May 27, 2016, he made his international debut for England against Australia in a warm-up match. Three minutes into the game, he scored a goal that ultimately contributed to a 2-1 victory.
Rashford has been recognized for his activism and campaigns against child poverty, malnutrition, and racism. He has been lauded for utilizing his stature as a political activist and philanthropist to promote societal transformation. He has garnered considerable recognition for his efforts and has been recognized by organizations inside and outside sports.
Did You Know:
In appreciation of Rashford’s work to eliminate child poverty and hunger, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
3. Adama Traore
Top Speed: 22.61 miles per hour Position: Winger Team: Wolverhampton Wanderers Country: Spain
photo source: Football Espana
Adama Traore Diarra is a Spanish professional soccer player who plays winger or wing-back for Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Spain national team. Traore began his professional career with Barcelona, where he rose through the youth ranks.
Before Wolves, He was in Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. Since then, he has attracted much transfer interest from England’s top teams and even secured a loan back to Barcelona.
Although he has been a Spanish team member since he was 16 years old, Traore made his senior debut against Portugal in October 2020. Traore was invited to Spain’s Euro 2020 team and made one appearance, a 5-0 win over Slovakia. Additionally, he temporarily participated in Spain’s World Cup 2022 qualifying.
Did You Know:
Traore received the FIFA 19 World’s Quickest Player accolade after being recognized as the world’s fastest player by the EA FIFA rankings.
2. Achraf Hakimi
Top Speed: 22.67 miles per hour Position: Right-back Team: Paris Saint-Germain Country: Morocco, Spain
photo source: Goal.com
Achraf Hakimi presently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the Morocco national team. Hakimi joined Real Madrid at 13 and was elevated to the senior team in 2016 after impressing coach Zinedine Zidane in preseason play.
In 2017, he debuted for the first team as a replacement for Daniel Carvajal against Leonesa and started against Bayern Munich in the 2017 Audi Cup final on July 30.
He won the 2019 DFL-Supercup with Borussia Dortmund on a two-year loan. After a successful loan with Dortmund, Hakimi reportedly signed for €40 million with Serie A club Inter Milan.
His performances helped the team win the league title, breaking the club’s eleven-year title drought. Paris Saint-Germain signed him in 2021 for €60 million after he impressed numerous European teams. On one of his right-wing counterattacks during the previous season, he reached an astonishing 22.67 mph.
Did You Know:
Achraf Hakimi is one of the most popular athletes of his age in Morocco.
1. Alphonso Davies
Top Speed: 22.69 miles per hour Position: Left-back, winger Team: Bayern Munich Country: Canada
photo source: The Toronto Star
With a blistering top speed of 22.69 mph, Alphonso Davies is the fastest soccer player of 2023. Alphonso Davies was born in the Ghanaian refugee camp of Buduburam, Gomoa East District. His family immigrated to Canada in 2005 and settled in Edmonton.
Davies was the first Major League Soccer player born in the 2000s. He joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a then-record MLS transfer price and a deal extending through 2023.
By scoring two goals against French Guiana in a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup match, he became the youngest player to score for the Canadian men’s national team, the youngest player to score in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the first player born in the 2000s to score in a top-level international competition.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he scored Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal. He is largely regarded as the finest player on the Canadian men’s national team and as its face.
Did You Know:
Alphonso Davies is the first soccer player and Canadian to become a UNHCR ambassador.