Home to some of the quickest footballers in the world, the English Premier League is nothing short of a hellish ride for unhurried players. From lightning-quick full-backs to marauding center-forwards, there is no shortage of players who can turn on the afterburners and take the opposition for a spin.
With the game growing quicker and quicker with every passing day, being pacy has become one of the prerequisites of being an effective footballer, especially in the Premier League. Teams love a player who can quickly track back when their teammates are in trouble or hit the gas when there’s an opportunity to hit the opposition on the break.
With that thought in mind, we will take a look at some players who lead the way when in terms of breakneck pace. Here are the five quickest players in the history of the Premier League:
Stats via: Sportbible
#5 Mahmoud Trezeguet (Aston Villa): 37.594 km/h
Former Aston Villa winger Mahmoud Trezeguet may not have enjoyed a memorable spell at Aston Villa, but made a name as one of the league’s quickest players. The winger, who joined the Villans from Kasimpasa in July 2019, recorded a top speed of 37.594 km/h, emerging as the joint-fourth-quickest player in the league’s history.
Trezeguet, who currently plies his trade at Turkish club Trabzonspor, played 56 games in the top flight of English football across three seasons (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22). The Egyptian scored a mere eight goals and claimed three assists before leaving on loan to Basaksehir (February 2022). He returned to the club in June 2022 after the end of his loan tenure only to be permanently sold to Trabzonspor.
#4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United): 37.594 km/h
Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the joint-fourth-quickest player in Premier League’s recorded history, clocking a top speed of 37.594 km/h.
Known for his sharp turns and blistering pace, the English right-back was tipped to be a sensation when he broke cover at Crystal Palace. Manchester United splurged a whopping €55 million to get him on their books in the summer of 2019, but they are yet to get their money’s worth.
Wan-Bissaka has struggled to perform consistently for the Red Devils, often lacking imagination going forward and solidity when defending. The 24-year-old is yet to make his England senior team debut either, remaining on the fringes as the likes of Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Reece James continue winning plaudits.
Wan-Bissaka, who currently plays second fiddle to Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot at United, has played 90 league games for the Old Trafford unit, scoring twice and providing eight assists.
#3 Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers): 37.787 km/h
Barcelona academy graduate Adama Traore has long been hailed as one of the quickest forwards in the world, and deservedly so. With an earth-shattering top speed of 37.787 km/h, Traore has gone down as the third-quickest player in Premier League history.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers striker has a unique blend of physical strength and agility. Granted how muscular his build is, one might not expect him to be as devastatingly quick. Yet he continues to impress with his pace, game after game, season after season.
Traore has often received criticism for his lack of end product. Since the 2018-19 season (barring a half-season spell at Barcelona in 2021-22), the jet-heeled winger has taken part in 131 games in the English top flight, scoring only nine goals and claiming 13 assists.
#2 Kyle Walker (Manchester City): 37.802 km/h
Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker, with a top speed of 37.802 km/h, is the quickest defender in the history of the English Premier League.
Walker, who joined the Cityzens from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, is a versatile full-back, capable of playing on either side. When fit, he can take the fight to the best defenses or keep pace with the most slippery attackers.
Since joining in 2017, Walker has featured in 145 league games for Pep Guardiola’s side, scoring three times and claiming 14 assists. His performances have helped City to four Premier League titles in the last five years.
#1 Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) — 38 km/h
With a recorded top speed of a whopping 38 km/h, Liverpool’s blockbuster summer signing Darwin Nunez is officially the quickest player in Premier League history. The Uruguayan, who joined the Reds from Benfica in the summer transfer window, made the record in a 1-0 win over West Ham United on October 19.
Impressively, he also scored the only goal of the match, beating Lukasz Fabianski with a superb header. The goal marked his first as a Liverpool player at Anfield.
Nunez has not had an easy time adjusting to life at Liverpool. After scoring in Liverpool's 3-1 Community Shield win over Manchester City and in the 1-1 draw with Fulham, Nunez saw a straight red against Crystal Palace. He has featured in five Premier League games since returning from suspension, scoring twice.
Overall, he has scored five goals in 12 games (in all competitions) for the Reds. Three of his five goals have come in seven appearances in the English top flight.