Fastest football player in the world (2022) - Mbappe leads top 10 list (2024)

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is the fastest football player in the world right now. The French talisman had clocked the top speed of 38 km/h against his former team AS Monaco in the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ star winger Adama Traore, who is currently on loan at FC Barcelona, has also run at a top speed of 38 km/h during Wolves’ 2019-20 UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash with La Liga side Sevilla.

Interestingly, the top speed of 38 km/h is faster than Olympic champions Usain Bolt‘s top speed of 37.58 km/h that he ran in the 100m event in 2009.

However, the mantle of the fastest footballer in the world has never been stable and one look at the list below shows there are numerous football players in the world who could give Mbappe and Traore a run for the money.

Fastest football player in the world: top 10

Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | 38 km/h

Widely counted among the fastest football players in the world right now, French wunderkind Kylian Mbapper rightly sits at the top of the list of the fastest football players in the world. The wide forward is fast becoming one of the best in the business and his incredible speed with football brain have contributed significantly to it. A perfect display of this blend was exhibited in his goal for PSG against AS Monaco in a 2019-20 Ligue 1 match. The move started in PSG’s half when they were defending and Mbappe combined with Moussa Diaby to take the ball forward. However, what happened next was unbelievable as the striker breezed past Monaco players clocking 38 km/h to reach the opponents’ D-box before concluding the move with a goal with his left foot. Mbappe had scored a hat-trick that match.

Adama Traore | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 km/h

Another supreme athlete who has gone on to become one of the fastest football players in the world is Spain’s Adama Traore. What separates him from the rest is his insane bulk along with the speed, which he uses to outmuscle opponents easily. Traore’s impact was greatly felt during Wolves’ UEFA Europa League match against Sevilla, where he had hit his top speed to get past Sevilla defenders and get into the penalty box before he was brought down. To his misfortune though, Wolves forward Raul Jimenez couldn’t convert from the spot and the team was eliminated from the quarterfinals.

Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich | 36.51 km/h

Another footballer who is one of the fastest players in the world right now is Bayern Munich’s Alfonso Davies, who features seventh on the list of top 10 fastest football players. Considered to be the fastest player in Bundesliga, Davies showed his pace while tracking back during Bayern Munich vs Arminia match on a snowy evening. An inverted full-back who is highly dependent on his pace to cover the left-wing, Davies ran back at a speed of 36.51 km/h to put the ball out of danger. Football fans worldwide were shocked at his insane speed on snow-covered grass.

Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea| 36.25 km/h

While playing for Manchester United in 2019 under Jose Mourinho, Romelu Lukaku had leaked the speed test results of all Manchester United players. It had the bulky Belgian forward at the top with a top speed of 36.25 km/h and he was followed by Daniel James at 35.35 km/h and Luke Shaw 31.03 km/h. Being a 6ft 3 inch poacher inside the box, Lukaku has always been used as a target-man who would win headers from set-pieces and long balls. However, the centre-forward has shown glimpses of his pace here and there, most notably during the 2019 FIFA World Cup. Since he left, Manchester United have often banked on quick wide players to get the job done like Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Jaden Sancho and more.

Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 36 km/h

Like Adama Traore, Erling Haaland has the perfect combination of muscle and speed. It is quite unbelievable that the 6ft 4inch star can run at such speed and simultaneously maintain his composure in front of the goal. Haaland’s top speed stands at 36 km/h in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 win over Vfb Stuttgart in a Bundesliga match. It was a pity that his theatrics didn’t end up as a goal with the opponent goalkeeper coming to collect the ball quite early, but Haaland’s speed remains a dangerous attribute in his arsenal.

Football is filled with players having incredible speed who don’t feature on this list of the top 10 fastest footballers, like FC Barcelona’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Bayern Munich Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and others.

FAQs

Who is the fastest player in the world 2021?

Bayern Munich’s left wing-back Alphonso Davies was the fastest player in the world in 2021 with a top speed of 36.51 km/h.

Who is fastest football player in the world 2020?

PSG star Kylian Mbappe was the fastest football player in the world in 2020 with s top speed of 36 km/h

What is the fastest sprint in football ever?

Real Madrid speedster Gareth Bale has record the fastest sprint in football ever clocking 39.9 km / h against Villareal in 2013.