Gone are the days of Micky Quinn and ‘Razor’ Ruddock. Modern footballers are elite athletes, combining endurance, power and explosive speed. And there'll be plenty of them on show in the US this summer at the World Cup.
While pace isn't everything – just ask England captain Harry Kane – it remains one of the most devastating weapons in football.
Here are the 8 fastest players to watch this summer.
1/ Micky van de Ven
- Country: The Netherlands
- Age: 25
- Position: Centre-back
According to Premier League (PL) data, the Spurs and Netherlands centre-half clocked a speed of 37.38 km/h against Brentford. That’s the fastest PL data recorded since tracking began in 2021.
2/ Achraf Hakimi
- Country: Morocco
- Age: 27
- Position: Right-back
During the 2025/26 Champions’ League campaign, Paris St Germain’s Hakimi recorded a top speed of 37.03 km/h. That makes the Morocco captain a real asset in defence and attack.
3/ Erling Haaland
- Country: Norway
- Age: 25
- Position: Centre-forward
The Norwegian goal machine is quicker than people imagine. He was the fastest player during the 2024/25 Champions’ League tournament, hitting a speed of 36.9 km/h.
What to read next
4/ Kylian Mbappé
- Country: France
- Age: 27
- Position: Centre-forward
The French superstar is famous for his speed. At the 2024 Euros, he recorded the tournament’s fastest sprint, 36.7km/h – and he’ll be the focal point of the French attack this summer.
5/ Alphonso Davies
- Country: Canada
- Age: 25
- Position: Left-back
The Canadian captain, who plays his club football at Bayern Munich, has earned the nickname ‘The Roadrunner’ for good reason. He clocked speeds in excess of 36.41 km/h during the 2023/24 Bundesliga season and likes to get forward to support the attack as much as possible.
6/ Nico Williams
- Country: Spain
- Age: 23
- Position: Left-wing
Spain’s lavishly talented squad is packed with speed and skill. Williams was one of three players to record a speed of 35.9 km/h at the Euros in 2024 – and this combination of speed and trickery make him a match for any defender in the world.
7/ Vinícius Júnior
- Age: 25
- Country: Brazil
- Position: Centre-forward
The Brazil and Real Madrid striker is widely regarded as one of the top five players in the world. That’s thanks in no small part to his speed. Champions’ League stats have Júnior clocking speeds of 35.1 km/h.
8/ Rafael Leão
- Country: Portugal
- Age: 26
- Position: Left-wing
Portugal’s players will be the dark horses at this summer’s tournament, with their combination of tournament savvy and attacking talent. Flying down the left-wing will be Leao, who plays his club football for AC Milan and this season registered a top speed of 36.5 km/h.
Rick Pearson is the senior editor at Runner’s World UK. He’s been with the brand since 2017 and loves testing PB-friendly shoes for on and off road. Rick is a sub-three marathoner, 4-something miler and once completed 100 miles in less than 24 hours. He occasionally likes to remind people of these feats on the Runner’s World podcast, which he co-hosts.
Rick’s running CV also includes racing a steam train over 14 miles (he won, narrowly) and a horse over a marathon (he lost, comfortably).
