15 Fastest Players in Football History [Ranked]

Pace is one of the most important attributes a footballer can possess. It is essential for every position as it can help to thwart attackers, beat defenders and aid midfielders in getting across the pitch. When a player lacks pace, it can be dramatically exposed, as opponents target them and constantly run in behind them to make their life a misery, and when a player has a lot of pace, their team will look to capitalise on this by making them challenge their opponents all game.

Some players in history have been exceptionally quick, almost on par with Olympic sprinters, which made this list almost impossible to decide. The likes of Thierry Henry and Ronaldo were two of the quickest of their generation, while 2025 is the year of the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Alphonso Davies and Achraf Hakimi among others. With this in mind, here are the 15 fastest footballers of all time.

Ranking Factors

• Statistics
• How fast they look to the eye
• Any available data that has measured their speed

15

George Best

Notable Clubs Played For: Man United

One of the greatest footballers of all time, George Best could do it all. The winner of the 1968 Ballon d’Or, the Northern Irish winger was an exceptional dribbler, who could glide past opponents with ease, carrying the ball the length of the pitch without a challenge. Possessed with so many great attributes, and being a player ahead of his time, the former Man United man was exceptionally fast to match.

Famed for his off-the-pitch antics as much as his on-the-pitch ones, the winger was an outstanding talent, that every team in the world would have loved to have had. His pace aided him in becoming the best player on the planet, and he used it, alongside his balance, technique and great football brain, to embarrass opponents on his way to scoring a vast number of goals.

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14

Arjen Robben

Notable Clubs Played For: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich

Best known for his ability to cut in from the right-hand side and whip a shot into the far corner, Arjen Robben was one of the game’s best wingers. Playing for some of Europe’s best clubs, the Dutchman was elite, and had so many fantastic attributes, including his pace.

Bursting down the line, leaving opponents for dead, Robben had a glistening career at the highest level, winning a great number of trophies. Even after retiring, the legendary winger has continued to display his pace, most recently completing the Rotterdam marathon in the summer of 2024, with a very impressive time of 2:58:33. Continuing to show his athleticism and fantastic pace, Robben has been known to set some of the best times in a variety of races since he retired, which is nothing different to his great footballing career.

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13

Cristiano Ronaldo

Notable Clubs Played For: Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus

Undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo is simply out of this world. A deadly finisher, silky dribbler, and with determination like no other, there is little that hasn’t already been said about this Portuguese machine. As he has aged, his pace has left him, and he has had to adapt his game to suit his attributes, rarely moving away from goalscoring positions, where he can utilise his supreme finishing. However, in his younger years, especially with Sporting Lisbon and Man United, he had remarkable pace.

Bursting past opponents with a combination of skill and raw pace, he was astonishing. Opponents didn’t know how to stop him, and this was a theme throughout his career. Going on to achieve everything, and win the Ballon d’Or five times, Ronaldo has been a phenomenon.

12

Gareth Bale

Notable Clubs Played For: Tottenham, Real Madrid

One of Britain’s best-ever players, Gareth Bale, took Wales from a very underwhelming, small footballing nation, to the semi-finals of the European Championships. With all the attributes a player could want, Bale stood out in every team he played for, which earned him a world-record move to Real Madrid in 2013. Continuing to shine in a team full of stars, the Welshman showcased his talent on a number of occasions, and his pace was best shown in 2014, in the Copa del Rey final.

Out on the left-hand side, Bale flicked the ball past Marc Bartra, who in turn pushed him off the pitch, however, Bale continued to run, beating Bartra to the ball, going on to score, in one of the greatest displays of pace on a pitch of all-time. A sensational athlete who was hampered by injuries, Bale had it all, and his pace was on another level.

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11

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Notable Clubs Played For: Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea

One of the most feared strikers of this generation, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s speed terrified defenders. But it wasn’t just the Gabon international’s pace that did so. Instead, his blend of movement and unerring finishing – particular while at German giants Borussia Dortmund – is what made him the centre-forward that clubs around Europe desperately wanted. In the end, he made the move to the Premier League to join Arsenal, and he still remained prolific in his early time at the Emirates too, lifting the FA Cup in the process as captain. If you wanted a clinical striker capable of running behind and stretching defences, then Aubameyang was your man during the 2010s.

10

Kyle Walker

Notable Clubs Played For: Tottenham, Man City

When modern Premier League wingers are asked who their hardest-ever opponent has been, the answer is often one man, Kyle Walker. The England full-back was a key part of the Man City side that won four consecutive Premier League titles, with his pace and physicality being a major reason for their defensive strength.

With some of the greatest recovery speed in football history, Walker often nips back in out of nowhere to deny attackers, demonstrating speed like no other. Whether it is in attack or defence, the former Spurs man is able to burst into action, with opponents having no answer for it.

Winning numerous trophies with Man City, he is one of the best right-backs in Premier League history, and his pace is a major reason for this. His on-the-ball ability is sometimes in question, but his pace has never been.

9

Micky van de Ven

Notable Clubs Played For: Wolfsburg, Tottenham

The Premier League player with the highest recorded speed since records began (in 2020/21), Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven is a sublime athlete. Gone are the days of centre-backs being slow and laborious, with players like Van de Ven changing the way the sport is played.

Strikers are no longer able to peel away from defenders to get in on goal, especially with the Dutchman around. Recording a top speed of 37.12 km/h against Man United in 2024, the Tottenham man is a nightmare to play against. Comfortable on the ball, intelligent and lightning-quick, he is the type of player that forwards hate.

With such exceptional pace, despite being just 23 years old, he is certainly one of the fastest players to ever play the game.

8

Ronaldo Nazario

Notable Clubs Played For: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan

When thinking about Ronaldo Nazario, two things come to mind, the first being how incredibly gifted he was, and then the second being what if he didn’t pick up so many injuries?

Footballing perfection, the Brazilian striker could do everything, with skill, power and pace, there was no one else like him at his best. Regularly bursting through on goal before rounding the goalkeeper and finding the back of the net, ‘R9’ had it all. His electric pace was a key part of how he played, and something that defenders couldn’t combat during a very illustrious career.

Had it not been for injuries, the forward would have had an even greater legacy, and been able to play a lot more than he did. His pace was astonishing, but it was one of many attributes the great striker possessed.

7

Thierry Henry

Notable Clubs Played For: Arsenal, Barcelona

One of the greatest strikers of all-time, Thierry Henry used his pace perhaps more effectively than any one else in the sport. The French forward, who was a player of similar style to Mbappe, is the finest player to ever play in the Premier League, and his speed is one of many reasons for this.

At the time, no one could stop him. His close control, dribbling, finishing and pace put him in a league of his own, as he regularly embarrassed opponents and scored an astonishing number of goals. With all the skill in the world, Henry could, and would, run from deep inside his own half, past all his opponents, and find the back of the net.

Described by many as the best they have ever faced, his ability was from another planet, and his pace as great as a champion sprinter, in a career which saw him win many trophies, including the Premier League, invincible.

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6

Theo Walcott

Notable Clubs Played For: Southampton, Arsenal, Everton

Bursting onto the scene almost as quickly as he could run, Theo Walcott was electric. Being taken to the 2006 World Cup at just 17 years old, everyone had very high hopes for the winger, who had quickly made a name for himself at Southampton.

Signed by Arsenal at 16, Walcott had masses of potential, and even more pace. With blistering speed, the forward would dart past defenders with ease, and carry his team up the pitch. Suffering from not knowing his best position, Walcott spent time as a winger and a striker, in a career where he was not quite as good as he once promised.

Still very successful, and an England regular for many years, Walcott’s pace was always a stand-out attribute. Rumoured to have completed the 100m in 11.58 seconds as a 14-year-old, if football hadn’t worked out he may well have become a professional athlete.