The Premier League has revealed the top 10 fastest speeds set by players this season, with a defender sitting well clear at the top of the list.
Tottenham Hotspur Micky van de Ven holds the crown when he clocked a rapid pace of 37.12 km/h during his side’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United last Sunday.
The Dutch centre-back hit the afterburners during first-half stoppage time when he had to track back and make a tackle on Red Devils winger Alejandro Garnacho.
For reference, the fastest speed ever recorded by a human was when Usain Bolt registered a speed of 44.72 km/h in a 20 metre stretch during the 100m event at the 2009 World Championships.
Van de Ven’s league-leading speed is also quicker than Kylian Mbappe clocked at Euro 2024 as the French superstar hit 36.5 km/h during the tournament.
The Tottenham star’s electric pace is vital to Ange Postecoglou’s high line working effectively as he effortlessly chases down rivals to put in a challenge and stop the counter-attack.
Van de Ven is also the only defender in the top 10 fastest players this season, with the other nine all forwards.
Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga sits in second on the list having cracked 35.90 km/h, while Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland rounds out the podium with a speed of 35.74 km/h.
Red Devils duo Garnacho and Marcus Rashford also make the cut with the sixth and the tenth-fastest speeds of 35.48 km/h and 35.35 km/h respectively.
Timo Werner, Gabriel Martinelli, Cameron Archer, Pedro Neto and Yankuba Minteh round out the list.
Perhaps Van de Ven’s appearance at the top of the Premier League’s fastest players list should not come as much of a surprise given he also dominates the all-time rankings for pace.
In fact, the Tottenham star has clocked three of the four fastest speeds since the Premier League began collecting such data in the 2020-21 season.
Van de Ven set the record last season against Brentford in January when he registered 37.38 km/h.
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker is the only player who can rival Van de Ven for pace, as he sits second on the all-time fastest speed list with 37.31 km/h.
Chiedozie Ogbene is fifth on the list when he hit a speed of 36.93 km/h last season when he played for Luton Town but moved to Ipswich Town in the summer.
Elanga and Neto also make an appearance on the top 10 fastest players list along with Jakub Moder, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dara O’Shea, Antonio Rudiger and Brennan Johnson.