13 Nov Who are the fastest players at Euro 2020?
Qualification for Euro 2020 enters its endgame phase over the next ten days or so as Groups A-J draw to a close.
This summer’s finals will take place across 12 cities, with the tournament final being played at Wembley in London.
A number of STATSports’ international clients will take centre stage as some of the biggest talents in the world prime themselves for glory.
Who’s quickest to the ball always plays a huge role in sport, so we decided to look at some of the fastest players on their way to this summer’s Euro 2020.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal – 34.62 kmph:
Remarkably, Ronaldo remains one of European football’s fastest players at the ripe old age of 34-years-old. The Juventus marksman is the club’s fastest player this season, hitting a max speed of 34.62kmph in Juve’s win over Napoli at the start of the season.
Ronaldo managed to sprint 92 metres in less than 12 seconds in the move that led to the opening goal. Portugal will be counting on the ex-Real Madrid superstar to fire them to wins over Lithuania and Luxembourg in the final two group games.
Jadon Sancho, England – 34.6 kmph:
It’s been a rapid rise to fame for the golden boy of Borussia Dortmund. Sancho is still only 19 but is already a first-team regular at both the Westfalenstadion and with his international side, England.
The former Manchester City academy star has pace and trickery in abundance and with a max speed of 34.6 kmph, the BVB man will take some stopping for the Three Lions.
Raheem Sterling, England – 34.97 kmph:
If there’s one thing England head coach Gareth Southgate has at his disposal, it’s pace. The Manchester City forward’s explosive max speed of 34.97 kmph sets him apart from a lot of his contemporaries.
But it’s not just velocity that has made Sterling England’s most important player over the last couple of years. His goalscoring rate has increased exponentially under Pep Guardiola, managed a career-high 29 goals last season.
Kai Havertz, Germany – 35.01 kmph:
Central attacking midfielders from Germany haven’t been known for their pace in recent years. But Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz certainly breaks from that norm.
The 19-year-old’s ability to race away from opposition players has saw him jettisoned into the Die Mannschaft side under Jogi Low.
Havertz should play a major role for the former World Cup winners at Euro 2020.
Divock Origi, Belgium – 35.04 kmph:
Belgium have a host of attacking talents at their disposal including Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, and Kevin de Bruyne. But none are as fast as Divock Origi.
Although not a first team regular at Liverpool, Origi has scored some huge goals at Anfield, including the second in the Reds’ Champions League triumph last summer.
The former Lille striker tears up the turf with a max speed of 35.04 kmph.
Ante Rebic, Croatia – 35.10 kmph:
Should Croatia seal qualification for the Euros, on-loan AC Milan forward Ante Rebic should be on the plan for his ability to outstrip defences alone.
With a max speed of 35.10 kmph, Rebic was the Bundesliga’s second fastest player last season when playing for parent club, Eintracht Frankfurt.
The World Cup finalists need just a point from their final qualifying game to make the summer showpiece, where Rebic could lay down some serious tracks.
Enda Stevens, Rep. of Ireland – 35.99 kmph
A surprising name on the list, the Republic of Ireland’s Enda Stevens is officially the second fastest player in this season’s Premier League.
With a max speed of 35.99 kmph, the Sheffield United full-back’s flying forays up the line has been a feature of the Blade’s impressive start to the season.
Ireland can qualify for the tournament with three points in a winner-takes-all clash against their old foes Denmark in Dublin.
Marcus Rashford, England – 36.32 kmph
The Manchester United forward has been in excellent form in recent weeks, taking on the burden of goal-scoring for the Red Devils.
Rashford isn’t just banging in the goals, though. The England striker has also smashed last season’s Premier League max speed record, hitting an incredible 36.32 kmph.
England will be one of the favourites for Euro 2020 and with Rashford likely to start up front, they’ll fancy their chances.
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