It’s widely regarded that Canada’s Alphonso Davies is one of the fastest players performing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With speeds of up to 36.51 recorded, Davies is a player that scares the life out of most opposing players.
His speed has also enabled him to turn the art of the recovery tackle into his speciality – as strikers in the Bundesliga can testify to.
He’s not only got speed, but he’s also an extremely talented player and is adaptable to the point that he isn’t just regarded as a left back, but also a left winger. This is partly due to the fact that quick enough to cover both positions.
This opens up a plethora of tactical options to both his club, Bayern Munich, and his country, Canada. Due to having a player of such speed and versatility, both club and country can switch formations from a back four to a back three, knowing full well Davies is as comfortable in one system, as he is in the other.
So, with a host of fellow speedster footballers currently in Qatar, who are the biggest rivals to Davies when it comes to a race against the clock?
Antonio Rudiger
The Real Madrid and Germany defender is another expert at recovery tackles, and with a reported top speed of 36.7 km/h recorded, he is a player that will worry any striker bearing down on the goal.
A tall physical defender, Rudiger’s speed is deceptive. He almost looks too big to be able to cover the ground as quickly as he does.
At 29 years of age, he isn’t as young as some of the names on this list, but he can still mix it with the upstarts.
The former Chelsea defender is now an established member of the German national team, and we can expect to see him demonstrate his exceptional speed in Qatar this month.
Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is a crucial part of the French team, which is currently esteemed as one of the betting favourites to win the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Their odds to lift the trophy stand at 6.50, according to the renowned Betano Canada brand.
Betano is mostly known for its expertise in the soccer betting market, so much so that FIFA has recently partnered with the franchise, declaring Betano to be their ‘official betting partner’. They know all about Dembele and what he brings to the table.
For so long after his move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele painted a picture of a frustrated figure at Camp Nou.
A player of immense talent, the Frenchman has often looked like one of the numerous players that have let their significant talent go to waste.
That has all changed over the past 12-18 months under the new Barcelona manager, Xavi, and it’s not just the Catalans that are reaping the rewards, but also the French national team.
As a winger, Dembele is more often trying to weave his way in and out of the defense, so he rarely gets to hit top speed.
But if required to have a foot race against one of the World Cup’s top defenders, Dembele will be up to the challenge, as he’s been recorded reaching speeds of up to 36.6 km/h in recent times.
Darwin Nunez
Readers may be shocked to discover just how quick Liverpool’s new frontman really is. A tall, languid-looking striker, Nunez is not the player you might think has the attributes to be regarded as the fastest player in the English Premier League.
In the 2022/23 season, Nunez recorded a speed of 36.5 km/h against Fulham, confirmed as the fastest speed recorded in the Premier League this season.
36.5 – The fastest recorded top speed in the Premier League this season was 36.5 km/h by Darwin Núñez against Fulham.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 21, 2022
36.5 – Darwin Núñez
35.9 – Gabriel Martinelli
35.8 – Diogo Dalot
35.7 – Allan Saint-Maximin
35.6 – Jack Stacey
Fact-check. pic.twitter.com/kcsQKQ1sB8
There are stories he has reached 38 km/h in training, but these aren’t official. Playing for Uruguay in the Qatar World Cup, Darwin will get the chance to show the world his exceptional speed.
Kyle Walker
The Manchester City and England speedster is at the Qatar World Cup, but it’s not a certainty we will see him turn his afterburners on in this competition. Walker entered the tournament with no recent match time due to a groin injury.
He is mainly at the competition because Gareth Southgate knows his that speed and powers of recovery give England extra options at the back if they’re chasing a game and want to take risks.
It might not be until later in the knockout stages that we see him, but when he does play, we might well get treated to seeing Walker coming somewhere near his reported top speed of 35.71 km/h.
Kylian Mbappe
The French wunderkind has now grown into a 23-year-old man, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in the four years since he’s won the World Cup with France.
With injuries to big-name stars like Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, the spotlight and a lot of France’s hopes will rest on the shoulders of Mbappe.
The striker has reportedly hit speeds up to 36 km/h in Ligue 1, and he may well be needed to replicate that if France is to defend the trophy they won so convincingly back in 2018.
⭐️⭐️#FRA
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 15, 2018
France have won the 2018 FIFA #WorldCup in Moscow! #FRACRO // #WorldCupFinal pic.twitter.com/fZhmJmxjVh
Conclusion
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see these guys in an out-and-out sprint race. What fun that would be. We do get to see them turn on the afterburners during matches, and it can be a breathtaking sight to see any of the above when they turn the dial up to ten and really go for it.
Who the fastest player is, well, that’s open to debate. It could be Alphonso Davies, or it could be one of his listed rivals, or maybe even someone else will emerge. It’s not always the fastest players that are the most important, either.
And sometimes it pays to be fast over the first ten yards, while some of these guys may need ten yards to get up to full speed. We’ll probably never know exactly who the fastest player is, but the simple truth is we should just enjoy watching them.
There’s a blend of young and old in our list, and also defenders and attackers. In an ideal world, we’ll get to see some of these strikers come up against some of the defenders on our list during the World Cup. Here’s for hoping for a speedy and successful competition!