25 Fastest Players in Football History [Ranked]

· GiveMeSport

From Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, the fastest players in football history have been 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. When a player has a lot of pace, their team will look to capitalise on this by helping 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 2026 is the year of the likes of Kylian Mbappé , Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi among others. With this in mind, here are the 25 fastest footballers of all time.

Clocking speeds of 33.92 km/h, Ousmane Dembélé is one of the quickest players in European football. The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona man has been reborn in the French capital, putting his speed and agility to great use for PSG. His dynamic pace remains a central weapon in his armoury, helping him to win the Ballon d'Or in 2025. Breaking defensive lines, stacking up progressive carries, and creating chances for his teammates, Dembélé is an example of industry at hyper speed.

Chiedozie Ogbene is one of the most terrifyingly rapid wingers in modern football. Official Premier League tracking data backs this up, having recorded him hitting a staggering peak speed of 36.93 km/h during a performance against Fulham. This places him among the fastest players in the Premier League since tracking records began. Weaponizing his pace to effect, Ogbene has proven a nightmare to deal with as defenders tire in the latter stages of fixtures.

With a low centre of gravity and a smooth sprinting technique, Pedro Neto has utilised his speed to great effect in the Premier League. The Portugal international is well adept at dribbling at pace, making him a very difficult player to defend against. Advanced tracking data measures his speed firmly in the upper echelon, with Premier League tracking logs capturing him hitting top speeds around 35.6 km/h. This attribute, in particular, has made him a valuable part of both Portugal and Chelsea's squads, with Neto central to the London club's exciting, young rebuild under BlueCo.

The Hungarian workhorse often makes headlines for his long-distance screamers and versatility, but Liverpool fans will tell you that Dominik Szoboszlai can really get moving when he wants to. Displaying a strong, graceful stride in midfield, Szoboszlai regularly covers significant ground for the Reds. But more impressively, he does this at great speed too.

Premier League tracking data famously registered him blazing up to an incredible peak speed of 36.76 km/h, temporarily making him one of the fastest recorded players in the competition's data history. With an engine that supports Liverpool's famous high press, Szoboszlai's box-to-box capabilities and top speed make him an invaluable player for Liverpool.

With Premier League tracking metrics, clocking him at 36.4 km/h, Anthony Gordon is easily one of the quickest players to grace the Premier League in recent years. Impressing for both Everton and Newcastle, the winger has terrorised fullbacks in the English top tier over the last few seasons, with his pace steadily increasing his reputation.

Sharp and agile, Gordon regularly draws defenders into fouls, maintaining intensity throughout matches. His domestic performances have also impressed the national set-up, having established himself as a regular in the England team. Having made a big money switch to Barcelona during the 2026 summer transfer window, Gordon will be hoping to use his speed just as effectively in La Liga .

After spending his youth career with Ajax, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie made the move to Arsenal at the age of just 16, and he quickly proved why he was such a talent. In the 2002/2003 season, he scored a remarkable 17 goals in just 20 games for the U17s, including scoring a double hat-trick against Wolves in a 7-1 win. Supremely quick, Quincy had somewhat of a journeyman career, but his best moment no doubt came in an Arsenal shirt when he netted his first ever goal for the club against Everton in the League Cup in the 2004/2005 season.

The modern-day speedster, Karim Adeyemi has long been one of the most explosive players in the world ever since he broke onto the scene. Making a name for himself at RB Salzburg, the German then made the high-profile move to Borussia Dortmund, and he quickly established himself as one of the Bundesliga's most electric players. In a match against Freiburg in February 2023, he became the league's fastest ever player after registering a top speed of 36.7km/h. His incredible speed made him a top target for Barcelona , signing with the club in 2026.

Despite his diminutive size, Aaron Lennon was always one of the most difficult wingers to handle in the Premier League given his sheer pace. It seemed like the former England international only had one trick in the locker, with his trademark knocking it past a full-back on the outside, getting to the byline and then either clipping a ball in to the likes of Peter Crouch or pulling the ball back to an onrushing midfielder. Either way, Lennon made a successful career out of getting the most out of his pace.

The USA international who so much was expected of after he broke onto the scene as one of the world's most exciting teenagers following a stunning series of performances at the U17 FIFA World Cup in 1999, DaMarcus Beasley was somewhat flattered to deceive thereafter. The versatile left back, who could play further forward as a left winger, shone at MLS side Chicago Fire, but a move later to the Premier League to join Manchester City proved to be a step too far for the fleet-footed wideman.

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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