One of the best qualities a football player can possess is speed. In one-on-one situations, it may be quite beneficial, whether you’re the defender attempting to rush back and dislodge the dribbler or the attacker attempting to get past the defence. In order to launch counterattacks offensively or stop them defensively, pace is essential.
There have been several incredibly fast players over the years, especially in the twenty-first century, as athletes have generally gotten better. Some athletes today are even on par with Olympic sprinters.
In light of all of that, TALK2SOCCER has evaluated and ranked the fastest British athletes in history.
Ranking Elements
Statistics from the speedometer
How swift they appear when playing and how effectively they exploited their speed to establish themselves as a fast football player
10Aaron Lennon
Top Speed: 33.8 km/h
At five feet five inches, Aaron Lennon used to play like one might expect from someone his size. He was able to defeat his opponent because of his explosive movements, remarkable acceleration, and exceptional agility.
Lennon’s finest playing years were spent with Tottenham Hotspur, where he made 364 appearances over ten years, scoring 30 goals and dishing out 76 assists. Even though his stats aren’t particularly impressive, his role was to get the ball into central areas so that the more inventive players and finishers could show off and to give them a counterattacking outlet down either wing, primarily the right wing.
9Marcus Rashford
Top Speed: 35.35 km/h
With five goals in 11 games for Manchester United during the 2015–16 season, Marcus Rashford essentially exploded into the Premier League scene. The Red Devils seemed to have discovered another young diamond from that point on. But nearly 10 years have passed since Rashford’s debut, and it’s safe to conclude that he hasn’t achieved the success that many anticipated following his initial few games.
In moments out on the left flank, the England international has demonstrated his incredible speed and technique by cutting inside onto his right foot and scoring goals. However, his defensive work rate and attitude raise serious concerns.
Rashford’s erratic performances have made him a hard player to watch throughout his career. There have been times when he looked unstoppable, such as during the 2019–20 and 2022–23 seasons, when he scored 17 Premier League goals apiece. In short, the 27-year-old’s career has been neither particularly successful nor particularly successful.
8Jamie Vardy
Top Speed: 35.44 km/h
For years, Jamie Vardy has caused problems for Premier League defences. Not only due to his talent for scoring goals, but also because of his quickness and winding-up strategies. Vardy set the record for the quickest top speed in Premier League history with a staggering 35.44 km/h during the 2015–16 season, when Leicester City won the league.
At 38, his speed has certainly slowed, but he remains a constant and unrelenting presence for the Foxes. In order to lead Leicester to victory this season, the Sheffield-born striker will be looking to add a lot more goals to his current total of 143 in the Premier League.
7Raheem Sterling
Top Speed: 35.53 km/h
Since making his Liverpool debut in March 2012 at the age of 17, Raheem Sterling has been tearing up the Premier League. He is considered one of the best left-wingers in Premier League history, and with good reason.
Sterling changed from being a lightning-fast player who was lethal on the counterattack to one who was much more astute with his off-the-ball movement after joining Manchester City in the summer of 2015. The England international would develop into a reliable winger under Pep Guardiola’s guidance. Sterling started to thrive in front of goal after practicing timing late runs into the box for cutbacks or crosses to the back post. Additionally, no one was able to mark him due to his speed.
For City, Sterling scored 131 goals in 339 games. The Jamaican-born winger helped Manchester City win four Premier League crowns, one FA Cup, and five League Cups while he was scoring goals and the team was sweeping England.
6Anthony Gordon
Top Speed: 35.63 km/h
From January 2020, when he made his Premier League debut for Everton, Anthony Gordon has demonstrated his explosive speed. But Gordon has been much more than simply a pacer since he joined Newcastle United in January 2023. With 21 goals and 17 assists in 92 games for the Magpies, his stats show that he has developed into a reliable threat down the left wing.
The speed of their burst of movement makes players like Gordon, one-footed wings, seem unstoppable even if they are predictable in the sense that you know they want to cut inside onto their stronger foot. The 23-year-old winger, who was born in Liverpool, has a bright future.
5George Best
Top Speed: N/A
Everyone who watched the late great George Best kick a ball thought he was incredibly fast, even though there was no such thing as speed tests or technology when he played (1963–1984). Only five other British players have won the Ballon d’Or since its establishment in 1956, therefore Best’s victory in 1968 was quite an accomplishment.
The former Manchester United winger was extremely difficult to defend because he could finish a play with style with either foot after using his speed and cunning to glide past his opponents. Best made 470 appearances for the Red Devils as a winger, tallying a remarkable 179 goals and 29 assists.
4Theo Walcott
Top Speed: 35.7 km/h
Theo Walcott’s remarkable change of pace allowed him to burst down Arsenal’s left wing for years. The former England international was nearly always considered the fastest player on the pitch in his early and best years because he could easily skip by his marker.
Walcott was so explosive that Lionel Messi reportedly called him “one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against.” Walcott was more than simply a quick player; he frequently ducked under opponents and scored with a cutback, a cross, or a shot.
Theo Walcott may have achieved a faster speed prior to the tracking of players’ in-game speeds, but his greatest reported speed was 35.7 km/h.
3Gareth Bale
Top Speed: 36.64 km/h
During his tenure at Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as for the Welsh national team, Gareth Bale demonstrated his extraordinary speed and strength on numerous occasions. The Welshman frequently gave the impression that everyone else on the pitch was moving slowly.
He was gifted with more than simply speed. Bale is regarded as one of the all-time greats in British football. Although he could blast down the wing with his speed and strength, he could also finish from a distance after dribbling past a few men. As a result, he helped Real Madrid win three La Liga titles and five Champions League titles.
2Brennan Johnson
Top Speed: 36.70 km/h
Brennan Johnson, 23, is among the fastest British players of all time, despite having a far shorter career than most of the players on this list. He actually ranks among the top 10 fastest players in Premier League history with his maximum speed of 36.70 km/h.
The speedster has been outpacing defenders since his Championship days with Nottingham Forest. Even though Johnson is statistically among the top three fastest players on our list, the accomplishments of the other players over their storied careers make it hard to place him at number two or three. Despite his respectable return of 17 goals and 13 assists in 66 games for Spurs, Johnson has not yet accomplished anything in his brief tenure with the team.
1Kyle Walker
Top Speed: 37.31 km/h
The fastest British player in history is Kyle Walker. Because of his incredible speed, the new AC Milan right-back has solidified his status as one of the best right-backs in the history of the game.
With six Premier League titles in the last seven seasons, Walker has been instrumental in Manchester City’s recent success. Under Pep Guardiola, he has been extremely successful at making late overlapping runs down the side and over defences. In addition, his quick recovery has helped put an end to numerous dangerous counterattacks over the years, effortlessly stopping his rival wingers.
The 33-year-old England international set an amazing high speed of 37.31 km/h during the 2022–2023 season. In January 2024, Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur would surpass this Premier League top speed record with a speed of 37.38 km/h.
