This World Cup has produced some thrilling and fast-paced football so far. Every player’s running stats are tracked by FIFA at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
FIFA has published the list of top 20 fastest footballers in the 2018 World Cup and we take a look at the top five fastest footballers.
Kyle Walker (England) and Jesse Lingard (England) – 33.5 km/h (tied)
The Three Lions are in the semifinals of the World Cup. They defeated Sweden 2-0 in the quarterfinals to book their place in the top four. Harry Kane has scored seven goals in the tournament and has led them well. Kane’s teammates Kyle Walker and Jesse Lingard have been exceptional throughout the World Cup. Lingard has been a livewire in the World Cup and is providing the creative spark for Southgate’s side. He has scored a goal and assisted one more in the tournament so far.
Santiago Arias (Colombia) – 33.6 km/h
Though the Columbians were knocked out of the tournament, the 26-year-old from PSV Eindhoven showed some blistering pace in the tournament. He was one of the best fullbacks in Eredivisie with three goals and five assists during the 2017/18 season. The PSV right-back Santiago Arias is the fourth fastest player in Russia. He reached speeds of 33.6 km/h during their round of clash against England on 3rd July.
Luis Advincula (Peru) – 33.8 km/h
Peru right-back Luis Advincula clocked the third-fastest speed in the World Cup. The 28-year-old set the pace during Peru’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in their first game of the tournament in Russia. Luis Advincula earlier reached 36.15 km/h during a game against Chivas in the Liga MX, eclipsing Gareth Bale’s record to become the fastest footballer in the world. He was reported to have covered 68.5 meters in 6.82 seconds when he created the record.
Ante Rebic (Croatia) – 34 km/h (tied)
Ante Rebic is one of the two players to clock 34 km/h in the 2018 World Cup. He reached speeds of 34 km/h during his side’s 1-1 draw against Denmark in the round of 16 game earlier in the week. The 24-year-old also registered 33.3 km/h against Nigeria in a Group D game last month. Rebic has been one of the star performers for Croatia in the tournament. Deployed on the right flank by his manager Zlatko Dalic, Rebic has played a stellar role in Croatia’s run to the semifinals of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 34 km/h (tied)
Despite his age, Ronaldo has beaten some of the fastest footballers in the world to top this list. Though Portugal are knocked out of the World Cup, Ronaldo has played well in the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo has clocked the joint-fastest speed in the World Cup. The 33-year-old Real Madrid star clocked 34 km/h in Portugal’s 3-3 draw against Spain on matchday one. Interestingly, Ronaldo registered a stunning hat-trick in that game.