Fastest Premier League players aged 30 or over
Another gruelling Premier League campaign is on the horizon.
From mid-August to late May, 380 matches will be played between 20 clubs, each contesting 38 fixtures. When factoring in other competitions, it’s understandable why modern squads are as large as they are.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the average squad size was 42.8 players, with Fulham boasting the oldest at 26.4 years of age. Gone are the days when reaching 30 was seen as the start of an imminent decline. If anything, advances in medicine and physiotherapy have prolonged many careers.
Thiago Silva was a perfect illustration; he became the second-oldest outfield player to start the first three Premier League matches of a season, doing so aged 38 years and 337 days old.
A regal defender, Silva has never been known for his electric burst of pace but rather for his intelligent positioning. Those aged 30 and over can keep up with their younger colleagues and opponents. But the question is, who can be described as the fastest during the 2023/24 season?
We compiled a speedy top five using exclusive data requested from Opta.
5. Willian
- Age: 35
- Club: Fulham
- Appearances: 31
- Top speed: 34.87km/h
A mainstay in the Premier League for the better part of the last decade, Willian has exclusively played his football in London with Chelsea and Arsenal before joining Fulham in 2022. Last season, the Brazilian forward scored four goals.
During Fulham’s game with Tottenham at Craven Cottage, which the Cottagers won 3-0, Willian clocked a top speed of 34.87. Remarkably, he didn’t attempt a single take-on.
4. Michail Antonio
- Age: 33
- Club: West Ham United
- Appearances: 26
- Top speed: 35.09km/h
A serious knee injury curtailed Michail Antonio to his second-fewest amount of Premier League minutes played. Nevertheless, Antonio scored six goals and provided two assists.
And, despite his travails, West Ham’s multifunctional forward produced a stunning burst of energy in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle in October 2023. He played 75 minutes before featuring in the Hammers’ next four games, with a home meeting with Nottingham Forest seeing him sustain the aforementioned injury.
3. Kyle Walker
- Age: 33
- Club: Manchester City
- Appearances: 32
- Top speed: 35.32km/h
When many start writing off Kyle Walker, the England international reminds them why he’s the league’s premier full-back. Everyone has their preferences, but Walker has somewhat reinvented himself under Pep Guardiola.
No longer the terrifying, flying right-back, the Yorkshireman instead does a job on the opposition’s marauding left winger. And, more often than not, comes out on top. Walker will occasionally demonstrate his quickness, like against Bournemouth at home (when he clocked his fastest top speed). Then, Walker was deployed as a wing-back, and Jérémy Doku scored while creating four more as the champions ran out 6-1 winners.
2. Nélson Semedo
- Age: 30
- Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Appearances: 36
- Top speed: 35.9km/h
Speaking of right-backs, there’s a case to be made that Nélson Semedo belongs in the conversation which Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold continually dominate. He enjoyed a fine campaign for an oft-struggling Wolves team, so much so that the Portuguese international has been linked with a move away.
Wolves can ill-afford to lose him, especially when he’s becoming a challenging proposition for the league’s best wide forwards. Semedo, positioned as a wing-back in Gary O’Neil’s 3-4-3, enjoyed a fascinating battle with Raheem Sterling on Christmas Eve last year. Wolves ran out 2-1 winners against Chelsea, a game in which Semedo demonstrated the elusive speed many observers have come to admire.
1. Son Heung-min
- Age: 31
- Club: Tottenham Hotspur
- Appearances: 35
- Top speed: 36.08km/h
The loss of Harry Kane was a huge blow to Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. Although his goals were never replaced, newly installed captain Son Heung-min, nevertheless did a good job with 17 goals and 10 assists.
Since moving from Germany, Son has developed into a defender’s nightmare with his incredible speed, particularly on the Spurs counter, and last season, he didn’t let up. In a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest earlier in the year, Son — who assisted Micky van de Ven’s goal — clocked the fastest top speed by any Premier League player aged 30 and over.
