June 3rd, 2020 Running Day: Top Fastest Football Players in the World

Speed is a significant factor in football for all positions since having incredible pace can help players play at a higher level than those with low speed.

Ther3e is no doubt that speed is important in most sports, but it’s more important when it comes to football since players are supposed to run around the field for the majority of the game.

In fact, speed in football implies more than just running fast. While that is important, it is the ability to run at full pace for the entirety of a game that really matters.

Forwards, midfielders, and fullbacks need to have speed with the ball at their feet to get the most out of their jobs. Therefore, they should be able to run at full speed when they are dribbling. It is a tough skill to master along with dribbling skills, yet fundamental to be considered a fast player.

We are going to celebrate "Global Running Day" on Wed June 3rd, 2020 to motivate dedication to health and exercise, and here are the fastest runners with and without ball on the pitch:

Gareth Bale - 36.9km/h

Gareth Frank Bale, born 16 July 1989, is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish

club

and the Wales national team.

The Welshman has always been

one of the fastest football players in the world

ever since he broke through the ranks at Southampton. Bale is known for his pace, his crossing ability, and the accuracy and power of his left-foot shots, and has great ball control even at high speeds.

Bale made his professional debut at the age of 16 years and 275 days, playing for Southampton against Millwall.

Bale is mainly known for his intense physical style of play and has lifted several trophies during his phenomenal football career like the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.

Bale has tremendous upper body strength and also knows his way to the goal. However, he has been going through a rough patch, and has suffered numerous consecutive injuries.

However, he has still managed to clock a whopping 36.9 kph on the pitch! This puts him clearly ahead of the competition and makes him

the fastest footballer in the world

.

Bale has scored 14 goals from 36 games in all competitions and has been relatively subdued recently. But the Welshman's speed is clearly still world class.

Bale’s exceptional physical qualities have lifted his net worth to $125 million dollars.

Kylian Mbappe - 36 km/h

, born 20 December 1998, is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club

and the France national team.

Mbappe is best known for his clinical finishing, dribbling, strength, and explosive speed. So, he is another

fastest footballer in the world

.

The French World Cup winner has been brilliant for PSG so far. Mbappe is a lethal finisher and a gifted technician

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on the pitch and with his breathtaking pace and spectacular skills

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showed to the world he deserves to be considered as one of the best in the world, despite his tender age (22).

PSG superstar has the ability to burn up the pitch with his speed on the ground. Mbappe is so fast that it is almost impossible to stop him unless defenders have a head start and even then, very few got the chance to catch him.

Mbappe has that extra acceleration in him to give the defenders the slip in the final third. He regularly uses his speed to open up opportunities in front of goal.

Mbappe is totally aware of his pace and uses it to his advantage very well. He is the joint second

fastest footballer in the world

at present.

Mbappe’s net worth is estimated to be about $90 million dollars.

Orlando Berrio - 36 km/h

Orlando Enrique Berrío Meléndez, born 14 February 1991, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Brazilian Série A club

.

Although the Columbian is not very well known in the football world, he is the joint second

fastest player in the world

.

Berrio has a top speed of 36 kph, which sees him edge past quite a few big names to become the joint second fastest footballer in the world.

Berrio has faced terrible injuries since moving to Brazilian side Flamengo in the Serie A from Atletico National in 2017. Facing severe injuries has limited his game time, but when fit, he still is one of

the fastest footballers in the world

.

This Colombian has great ball control and dribbling skills. His speed ensures that it is very hard to get a hold of him to make him both

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an incredible winger and forward.

Inaki Williams - 35.71 km/h

Iñaki Williams Arthuer, born 15 June 1994, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a forward.

Williams is Bilbao's top scorer by scoring 11 goals from 30 appearances in all competitions, and is one of

the fastest footballers in the world

.

Moreover, Williams has four assists to his name and is a modern center forward who can play across the front three. However, he has mostly appeared as the central striker for his club.

The Spaniard likes to dribble and is extremely effective on the counter. Because of his extremely high speed on the ground, Williams has been able to get the better of the opposing defenses on many occasions.

When the striker gets a head start, it is very hard to gain ground on him, such is his acceleration on the pitch.

The striker has clocked a phenomenal 35.71 kph, which shows how devastating he can be for defenders to handle.

Theo Walcott- 35.7 KM/h

, born 16 March 1989, is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club

and the English national team.

Walcott might have never fulfilled the promise he showed as a youth player, but the Englishman did make a name for himself due to his searing pace.

Walcott played for Arsenal for 12 seasons, before securing a move to Everton in January of 2018. During his time with the Gunners, Walcott was a handful for most defenses. He was speedy, skillful and also had a knack of getting goals.

After moving to Everton, Walcott has shown signs of his old form, but his inconsistency has been costly. However, he does have four goals and two assists from 34 games in all appearances.

Walcott has achieved a top speed of 35.7 kph on the pitch to be among

the fastest players in the football world

and to frighten most of the rivals, especially defenders.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 35.5 km/h

, born 18 June 1989, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward and is the captain of both English

club

and the Gabon national team.

Aubameyang is the Premier League’s fastest player despite the fact that he is turning 31. Moreover, he is the first ever Gabonese player to represent the Gunners.

Aubameyang’s pace has helped him score 61 goals in 97 appearances for Arsenal as the Gunners desperately try to keep the striker.

He is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, known for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Aubameyang plays mainly as a striker, but has also been deployed as a wide forward.

After crashing out of the African Cup of Nations at the group stages, Aubameyang rushed back to Germany, but could not find the net as his side slipped to Champions League defeat at Benfica.

Aubameyang’s salary is £180,000-a-week and his net worth is estimated to be $30 million.

Jamie Vardy - 35.44 km/h

Jamie Richard Vardy, born 11 January 1987, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City and the England national team.

Vardy has been a constant feature in this list ever since he broke into the scene a few seasons ago. He has been among the goals this season and is the top scorer for his club once again.

Vardy is the only player who has hit double figures for Leicester City so far, scoring 13 goals from 28 games in the Premier League.

Vardy is a cunning striker who likes harrowing and pressing the defense on the field. His finishing is quite good and he is also a threat on the counter-attack.

Part of his effectiveness is because the player is extremely fast and has registered a top speed of 35.44 kph!

The Englishman is a hard worker, who puts in a lot of effort on the pitch. He likes fast build-up, which helps him use his speed to the fullest.

Vardy is also a good crosser of the ball and often pops up in the wings, using his speed to beat the first man.

Patrick van Aanholt - 35.42 km/h

Patrick John Miguel van Aanholt, born 29 August 1990, is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left back for Premier League club Crystal Palace.

Van Aanholt has been a regular feature in the backline for his club, starting in all of Crystal Palace’s games in the Premier League.

van Aanholt has been very effective for his club down the left, where he regularly combined with another fast-footed player, Wilfried Zaha. The two of them have been the creative force for Palace so far.

Palace coach, Roy Hodgson, usually prefers to give the Dutchman a restrained role, meaning that van Aanholt has been asked to stay deeper at times, however, he has managed to shine primarily because of his high speed.

The Dutchman is extremely fast on the pitch and is very hard to stop once he gets going. He has reached a top speed of 35.4 kph this season, which shows just how fast he can be.

Van Aanholt’s offensive contribution has also been decent, as he has scored 3 goals and registered 2 assists from 34 games in all competitions.

Moussa Sissoko - 35.33 km/h

Moussa Sissoko, born 16 August 1989, is a French professional footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and the French national team.

The Frenchman was an important part of the Tottenham team that were fighting for the league at one point in the season.

Sissoko has a rare combination of power and speed, which makes him an asset in the team. This season, the Frenchman has seen his stocks rise, as he has improved his ability to win the ball and his ability to tackle.

Even though his finishing has been poor, Sissoko has been fantastic in the build-up play. His speed is an added advantage here, as the Tottenham midfielder has been able to move up quickly during counter attacks.

Sissoko has reached 35.33 kilometers per hour, which makes him

one of the fastest players in the world

.

Karim Bellarabi - 35.27 km/h

Karim Bellarabi, born 8 April 1990, is a German professional footballer who plays for Bayer Leverkusen as a winger.

The 30-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger can reach an unbelievable speed of 35.27km/h and is a regular for the German side.

Bellarabi is an attacking midfielder who can play across the front line but is most comfortable on the right side of the attack. It is from here that the German likes to thread in passes and crosses for his teammates.

Bellarabi has been decent for his club this season, scoring nine goals from 24 games. He has also registered five assists so far.

While the German does have a knack of scoring goals, what makes him vital for his team is the threat he possesses on counter attacks. This is because Bellarabi is extremely fast and has been one of

the fastest players in the world

.

The German has clocked a top speed of 35.27 kilometers per hour, which highlights how deadly he can be when Bayern break away in a counter.

Bellarabi leaves his markers for dead and very few people in the world have the ability to catch up with him on the pitch.

Jurgen Damm - 35.23 km/h

Jürgen Damm Rascón, born 7 November 1992, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Tigres UANL and Mexico national team.

Damm began his professional career with Estudiantes Tecos at age 18. He made his debut in the Liga MX in 2012 in a 4-0 loss against Monterrey.

Damm still needs to put his speed to good use since he has failed to score or assist in the league so far.

Damm is able to reach 35.23 kilometers per hour while running with a ball. An incredible winger for the Liga MX club Tigres UANL as well as the Mexico national team, Damm securely holds a place on our list of

the fastest players in the world

.

Unfortunately, he was injured in a fireworks accident in New York and suffered first-degree burns on the side of his face.

Kyle Walker - 35.21 km/h

Kyle Andrew Walker, born 28 May 1990, is an English professional footballer who plays as a right back for Premier League club Manchester City and the English national team.

Walker is the Premier League’s second quickest player. He may have been criticized for some of his defensive displays, but his frightening pace gets him up and down the right wing.

Kyle started his career at Sheffield United FC and made his full debut for Sheffield United against Leyton Orient in 2009. He is known as one of

the quickest full-backs in the world

.

In 2017, Walker signed a five-year contract with Manchester City, in a transfer reported to be worth an initial £45 million fee, rising to £50 million with add-ons, making it one of the most expensive football transfers.

In 2012, Walker won the PFA Young Player of the Year award over his teammate, Gareth Bale.

Antonio Valencia - 35.1 km/h

Antonio Valencia, born 4 August 1985, is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays for L.D.U. Quito and the Ecuador national team.

Primarily a right-back, Valencia had played as a right winger for a large duration of his career.

The Ecuadoran is a rare player that mixes speed and strength, and nobody can get on his way when he's hitting top speed.

Valencia will use his blistering pace to run to the byline and drill a cross towards goal.

He's lost a bit of speed since surgery on his ankle in 2015, and he could have been even higher up the list without the so-called injuries.

Leroy Sane - 35.04 km/h

Leroy Aziz Sané, born 11 January 1996, is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger and as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the German national team.

Sane has missed the entire campaign after suffering a serious knee injury in the Community Shield against Liverpool. The German used to give defenders nightmares with his speed.

Sane has been in blistering form for City this season and Pep Guardiola has molded the player into one of European football’s rising stars.

Like a typical Guardiola frontman, the German loves running at people, giving defenders nightmares on the pitch. He is as skillful as he is speedy and is one of City’s most influential players.

Sane has already scored 14 goals from 36 appearances this season and has amassed 13 assists in total. He mostly operates on the left forward role for Guardiola in the City side, where he likes to dribble at speed and get past men.

The German’s speed and ball control make him an invaluable asset when City are breaking in numbers. Sane has clocked 35.48 kph this season, which makes him one of

the fastest players in the world.

Mohamed Salah - 35 km/h

, born 15 June 1992, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club

and the Egyptian national team.

In 2017, Salah signed a long-term contract with the Reds for an initial €42m fee that could rise to €50m, which was considered to be a club record.

Mohamed Salah’s incredible pace has seen him score a quite noticable 91 goals in 144 matches since signing for Liverpool in 2017.

, Salah is known for his finishing, dribbling, and speed and is definitely one of

the fastest football players in the Premier League

.

Salah is one of the fastest football players as for the 2013-2014 season Premier League statistics. Apart from the speed rate, he is also known for his ball control skills as he beats his opponents.

Kingsley Coman - 35 km/h

Kingsley Junior Coman, born 13 June 1996, is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the France national team.

In 2014, Coman moved to Juventus on the expiration of his contract, winning the Serie A and Coppa Italia in his first season in Italy.

In 2015, he was transferred on loan to Bayern Munich, winning another double in his first season.

As a winger, it helps to be fast and Coman certainly is among the fastest forwards in the world. The Frenchman has bagged five goals for Bayern Munich this season.

Coman is a quick and technically gifted winger, with good dribbling skills, vision, and explosive speed and acceleration.

He is capable of playing on either flank, or even in the center, as an offensive midfielder or as a striker.

Alvaro Odriozola - 34.99 km/h

Alvaro Odriozola Arzalluz, born 14 December 1995, is a Spanish professional footballer for Bayern Munich, on loan from Real Madrid, and the Spanish national team. Mainly a right back, he can also play as a winger.

The right-back is currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Real Madrid but has only played once for the Bundesliga giants since his move to the club.

The Spaniard had made five appearances for Real Madrid this season before the move.

His game awareness and anticipation is a particular quality in high-speed situations, with his slender stature aiding him with his dribbling runs from deep.

Nacho Fernandez - 34.62 km/h

Jose Ignacio Fernandez Iglesias, born 18 January 1990, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

The 30-year-old has been at Real Madrid his whole career but has only made nine appearances this season.

Despite the fact that Fernandez has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 12 years old, the defender is showing no signs of slowing down.

As a versatile player in every defensive position on the pitch, Fernandez is seen as a reliable full-back option due to his skills on the ball.

The injury-free defender is best known for his high speed, agility, work rate, endurance, and strength in the air despite not being particularly tall for his position.

Apart from his defensive skills, Nacho is also a competent passer of the ball in both short and long distances, with a 92.2% pass completion and accuracy.

Aaron Lennon - 33.8km/h

Aaron Justin Lennon, born 16 April 1987, is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Burnley.

The Englishman is undoubtedly a speed runner, but most of his running has been down the touchline warming up.

According to statistics, Lennon is

the fastest Englishman in the world

. Lennon can reach a 33.8 kilometer per hour sprint, or in miles, 21 miles per hour.

Beginning his career in 2003, he became the youngest player to join the Premier League at the time with the Leeds United club. Later, he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored 30 goals in 364 appearances, mostly as a result of his speed.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 33.6 km/h

dos Santos Aveiro, born 5 February 1985, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for

club

and captains the Portugal national team.

The Portuguese star may be reaching the back end of his career, but he can still shift the gears when needed.

The electric Madrid forward fancies his chances against any defender in the world and once he said the color of his boots makes a difference to how fast he feels.

As Nike put it, “Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t like to wear black boots because he says black looks slow and he wants to feel fast." That may explain his eccentric footwear.

As a versatile attacker, Ronaldo is capable of playing on either wing as well as through the center of the pitch.

While obviously right-footed, Ronaldo is very strong with both feet. He ranks among

the world's fastest footballers

, both with and without the ball.

Lionel Messi -32.5 km/h

, born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team.

What would be a list of the best soccer player accomplishments without mentioning Lionel Messi?

, and of all time (the GOAT)

The Argentinian wizard seems to be faster than the speed of light with a ball at his feet, but the figures suggest he's only the third fastest player in Spain!

A six-time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi has been blitzing past defenders for years and improving his incredible goal tally in the process.

Messi has a lower center of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly.

Pep Guardiola once stated, "Messi is the only player that runs faster with the ball than he does without it."

Wayne Rooney

-

31.2 km/h

Wayne Mark Rooney, born 24 October 1985, is an English professional footballer and captain for Championship club Derby County.

Manchester United's all-time leading scorer is struggling to earn a place in Mourinho's side, but he's their second fastest player available, according to statistics.

With a strength in playing midfielder roles, he is a record goalscorer for both Manchester United and the England national team.

Winning every honor available in England, European, and Continental football, Rooney has won the Premier League, UEFA Champions Leauge, League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

In our list of

the fastest soccer players of all time

, Rooney just nearly falls behind Messi, running 31.2 kilometers per hour, or 19.38 miles per hours.

Arjen Robben - 37.01 km/h

Among retired footballers,

is officially

the fastest soccer player of all time

after reaching a top speed of 23 miles per hour as the Netherlands thrashed Spain 5-1.

Arjen Robben, born 23 January 1984, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He is known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate, long-range, left-footed shots from the right wing.

Robben's previous personal best was clocked at just under 20 mph for Bayern. Perhaps, more impressive, is the fact he has broken the record pace set by another footballer (Theo Walcott) at the age of 30!

The only thing that could stop Robben was his injury record, which earned him the nickname “Glass man.” He missed a large part of matches due to injuring his hamstring, he broke a metatarsal bone in a pre-season game for Chelsea.

Though the injuries continued to pile up, he managed to play an important part in Chelsea winning two Premier League titles in his three seasons with the team.

After leaving Chelsea in 2007, Robben joined Real Madrid. Later, he was transferred to Bayern Munich in 2009. Finally, he made the most difficult decision in his career and officially retired from club football on 4 July 2019, aged 35.

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