Who are the fastest soccer players right now? UEFA has just released its study of top speeds throughout the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, and the main takeaway is that speed does in fact kill.
The list for the 10 fastest players in the world's premier club competition is loaded with many of today's most exciting footballers: AC Milan's Rafael Leão, Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Barcelona's Ousmane Dembélé.
You might not be surprised to learn that Dembélé jointly holds the top spot, but the player he shares it with is experiencing a meteoric rise this year: 21-year-old Ukrainian and Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
Fastest soccer players right now (2022-23 UEFA Champions League group stage)
#1. Mykhailo Mudryk (Shakhtar Donetsk) - 22.74 mph
#1. Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) - 22.74 mph
#3. Rafael Leão (AC Milan) - 22.68 mph
#4. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) - 22.56 mph
#5. Nuno Tavares (Marseille) - 22.49 mph
#5. Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 22.49 mph
#7. Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund) - 22.43 mph
#7. Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen) - 22.43 mph
#9. Rafa Silva (Benfica) - 22.30 mph
#10. Theo Hernández (AC Milan) - 22.18 mph
Who is Mykhailo Mudryk?
Born in Krasnohrad, Ukraine, Mudryk joined Shakhtar's academy in 2016 and made his senior debut in the Ukrainian Cup at the age of 17. However, he went on loan twice before breaking into the first team last year — originally as a substitute, but a four-assist match against PFK Lviv shortly before Russia's invasion halted everything set the stage for this campaign.
Or maybe it was this unreal goal against Ajax in the preseason.
Shakhtar komt op voorsprong!
Mudryk zet z'n brommer aan, laat Rensch achter zich en rondt fantastisch af #ZiggoSport #AJASHK pic.twitter.com/Ui4vQa1rcb— Ziggo Sport Voetbal (@ZS_Voetbal) July 26, 2022
He's been sensational domestically with four goals and five assists in eight games, but the left winger has made a name for himself around Europe with three goals and two assists in six UCL matches. His blast against Celtic is really all you need to see.
This kid is so special! ⭐️
Mykhaylo Mudryk with a screamer! pic.twitter.com/BkN3Y3gBia— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 25, 2022
But you're welcome to watch more. You should.
Mykhailo Mudryk - Highlights and Skills pic.twitter.com/Dr1fGrOgfQ
— ً (@jdp343) July 31, 2022
Transfermrkt says he's worth $15 million but that's a lie. The reported price tag is actually something like $75 million with Arsenal trying to land him in the January window.
