Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has smashed the Premier League record for fastest speed; centre-back joins Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker in elite group to smash 37 km/h threshold; seven of the top 10 all-time speeds recorded this term
Saturday 10 February 2024 08:31, UK
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven smashed the all-time Premier League record for top speed during the 3-2 win over Brentford last week - but who else ranks among the elite speedsters?
Spurs fans are raving about the centre-back's ability to apply the afterburners and close runners down - protecting his team's high line.
The 22-year-old reached a record-breaking speed of 37.38 km/h when he raced back to catch Lewis Keane-Potter, leapfrogging Manchester City speed demon Kyle Walker as the fastest player in Premier League history.
No other player has smashed the 37 km/h threshold this term to date, with Luton's Chiedozie Ogbene and Wolves' Pedro Neto coming closest.
In fact, Van de Ven joins Walker as the only player to smash past 37 km/h in top-flight history, with City's full-back clocking 37.31 km/h against Everton in May last year.
The table below reveals the top 100 speeds recorded since the Premier League's tracking data providers changed at the start of 2020/21. You can use the scroll and search bars to find players and teams.
The rankings suggest this campaign could be the fastest ever, with Van de Ven, Ogbene, Neto, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dara O'Shea, Anthony Gordon and Amadou Onana all registering top-10 all-time bursts of speed.
Every Premier League team has a player who has clocked more than 34 km/h, with the majority smashing past 35 km/h. Unsurprisingly, half of the club's fastest players are forwards but Ven de Ven is among four centre-backs on the list.
For context, Usain Bolt clocked 44.72km/h between the 60- and 80-metre points during a 100m race in 2009, while his average speed across the entire distance was 37.58km.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou on Micky van de Ven's speed after the Spurs defender was clocked as the fastest player in Premier League history since records began:
"We knew what we were getting from a physical perspective. His speed and ability to recover was elite. It's not just about running fast - football's more than that and you've got to use that in the right way.
"I've been really impressed with the way he has adapted to Premier League football, and being up against top strikers every week. His ability to use that speed in such an effective way in terms of his defensive work has been outstanding for a young man in his first year [of Premier League football].
"Don't forget that before he came to us he only had one year in the Bundesliga, so there's so much more to come from him. I've been really pleased with the way he's gone up to this level and used what he has as his strengths."
Asked whether he fears Van de Ven will pick up another injury when he uses his speed, the Australian replied: "No, you can't think of it that way. It's his game.
"He had the injury against Chelsea, there's always that possibility with high-performing athletes but he has a really good rehab programme and he hasn't missed a beat since he got back.
"Last week we pushed him to the maximum with such a short turnaround between Brentford and Everton, but he got through it okay and he's good to go."
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