The three Premier League players who clocked the ‘highest top speed’ in the 2018/19 season
The Premier League is home to some of world football’s most frighteningly rapid players, with pace-merchants up-and-down the country often playing at breakneck speed.
In the past, the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Gareth Bale blinded the league with their ‘Road Runner’ pace, while across the continent players in the mould of Kylian Mbappé and Inaki Williams mesmerise with their lightning legs.
But what of the Premier League today? Which current crop of speedsters hold the mantle for the English top-flight’s most blindingly quick set of players?
Well, at Squawka we’ve looked at the numbers to see which three players clocked the highest top speeds during the 2018/19 season and – incredibly – Leroy Sane failed to make the cut.
3. Ruben Vinagre (Wolves)
Highest top speed: 35.2 km/hr
Not many will be surprised to see a Wolves player make the grade, but everyone will be surprised to know that it was not Adama Traore. No, it was in fact young Portuguese full-back Vinagre who clinched a place in the top three with his sonic sprints.
A lighting-quick top speed of 35.2 km/hr managed to beat all of his teammates but, unlike his namesake Ruben Neves, he has not quite done enough to convince Nuno Espirito Santo of a regular starting berth in the West Midlands just yet.
2. Kyle Walker (Man City)
Highest top speed: 35.27 km/hr
Walker didn’t need to dye his hair a flamboyant gold to prove his Super Saiyan pace, but he went for it anyway just in case anyone forgot how ludicrously quick he really is, and that might have been the case midway through last season after Pep Guardiola decided to drop him.
The England international described the Catalan’s decision in January 2019 as “a reality check”, and he soon managed to fight his way back in the starting XI, helping City along the way to another Premier League title.
He has picked up where he left off this term, courtesy of a mind-boggling clearance in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool. It was the full-back’s pace that helped him get there just in time.
1. Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Fulham – on loan from Man Utd)
Highest top speed: 35.32 km/hr
It couldn’t have gone much worse for Fulham or Man Utd last season, with one relegated and the other teetering on the brink of implosion; but one shining beacon amidst that turmoil has been Fosu-Mensah’s speedy showings, with the Dutchman registering the highest top speed in the league.
The 21-year-old didn’t have the desired impact in west London, mustering just 12 appearances, but his versatility and fleet-footed exploits may yet bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s defence. However, his hopes of staking a claim for regular game time are likely to be impacted by the arrival of Aaron Wan-Bissaka – plus a knee injury.
Watch the video at the top of the article to see more of our unique 2018/19 Premier League season stats – powered by Opta.
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