• 10th: Patrick Van Aanholt, Crystal Palace, top speed - 34 km/h. Getty Images
    10th: Patrick Van Aanholt, Crystal Palace, top speed - 34 km/h. Getty Images
  • 9th: Sergio Rico, Fulham, top speed - 35.01 km/h. Reuters
    9th: Sergio Rico, Fulham, top speed - 35.01 km/h. Reuters
  • 8th: Divock Origi, Liverpool, top speed - 35.04 km/h. EPA
    8th: Divock Origi, Liverpool, top speed - 35.04 km/h. EPA
  • 7th: Felipe Anderson, West Ham, top speed - 35.11 km/h. Reuters
    7th: Felipe Anderson, West Ham, top speed - 35.11 km/h. Reuters
  • 6th: Gerard Deulofeu, Watford, top speed - 35.13 km/h. Getty Images
    6th: Gerard Deulofeu, Watford, top speed - 35.13 km/h. Getty Images
  • 5th: DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle United, top speed - 35.17 km/h. AP Photo
    5th: DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle United, top speed - 35.17 km/h. AP Photo
  • 4th: Leroy Sane, Manchester City, top speed - 35.18 km/h. Reuters
    4th: Leroy Sane, Manchester City, top speed - 35.18 km/h. Reuters
  • 3rd: Ruben Vinagre, Wolverhampton Wanderers, top speed - 35.20 km/h. Getty Images
    3rd: Ruben Vinagre, Wolverhampton Wanderers, top speed - 35.20 km/h. Getty Images
  • 2nd: Kyle Walker, Manchester City, top speed - 35.28 km/h. Reuters
    2nd: Kyle Walker, Manchester City, top speed - 35.28 km/h. Reuters
  • 1st: Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Fulham, top speed - 35.32 km/h. PA via AP
    1st: Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Fulham, top speed - 35.32 km/h. PA via AP

Leroy Sane or Kyle Walker? Premier League's fastest player for 2018/19 revealed


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Who was the fastest player in the Premier League this season?

It is a question which can raise a healthy debate among football fans, many of whom would swiftly point to the likes of Leroy Sane, Mohamed Salah or Kyle Walker.

For Sane and Salah have regularly been seen sprinting away from defences, while Walker's powers of recovery are often owing to his rapid acceleration.

But the data specialists at Opta have revealed what can be considered a surprise winner: step forward Manchester United's Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who spent the season on loan at Fulham.

The 21-year-old clocked an impressive speed of 35.32km/h, just pipping Walker.

You can check out the top 10 in the slideshow at the top of the page.

Liverpool fans will be wondering how Sadio Mane didn't make it, while Tottenham's Son Heung-Min also showed impressive pace during the season.

How does their speed compare to their Fifa 19 card?

The hundreds of thousand of football fanatics who play the Fifa 19 video game will know the advantage of having players with pace in your side.

And we have taken a look to see how accurate the game is with its speed attributes for the players who made the Opta top 10.

  • Timothy Fosu-Mensah: Acceleration 79, Sprint Speed 85. Courtesy EA Sports
    Timothy Fosu-Mensah: Acceleration 79, Sprint Speed 85. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Kyle Walker: Acceleration 86, Sprint Speed 93. Courtesy EA Sports
    Kyle Walker: Acceleration 86, Sprint Speed 93. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Ruben Vinagre: Acceleration 88, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports
    Ruben Vinagre: Acceleration 88, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Leroy Sane: Acceleration 93, Sprint Speed 96. Courtesy EA Sports
    Leroy Sane: Acceleration 93, Sprint Speed 96. Courtesy EA Sports
  • DeAndre Yedlin: Acceleration 93, Sprint Speed 93. Courtesy EA Sports
    DeAndre Yedlin: Acceleration 93, Sprint Speed 93. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Gerard Deulofeu: Acceleration 91, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports
    Gerard Deulofeu: Acceleration 91, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Felipe Anderson: Acceleration 94, Sprint Speed 90. Courtesy EA Sports
    Felipe Anderson: Acceleration 94, Sprint Speed 90. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Divock Origi: Acceleration 77, Sprint Speed 79. Courtesy EA Sports
    Divock Origi: Acceleration 77, Sprint Speed 79. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Sergio Rico: Goalkeepers are given only a general speed stat. Courtesy EA Sports
    Sergio Rico: Goalkeepers are given only a general speed stat. Courtesy EA Sports
  • Patrick Van Aanholt: Acceleration 88, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports
    Patrick Van Aanholt: Acceleration 88, Sprint Speed 89. Courtesy EA Sports

A player's overall pace attribute in Fifa is made up of both sprint speed and acceleration. In this instance we have used the most recently updated player base cards rather than the special cards available in the Fifa Ultimate Team mode.

Surprise inclusion Sergio Rico, the Fulham goalkeeper, just has an overall speed statistic.

The National has contacted Opta for an explanation as to how Rico was in the top 10. One obvious explanation was he went upfield for a corner in the final seconds and then sprinted back to his unguarded goal. Could this make him the fastest keeper ever?

So, EA Sports, the developer of the Fifa series, isn't too far out on its judgment for most of the players here, although it has come unstuck with speed king Fosu-Mensah, whose numbers don't match up to his real world achievement.

To be fair to EA, the young defender has only started 30 league matches, but it will be interesting to see how his speed is boosted when Fifa 20 is released in September.