How fast do you think a footballer can kick a football? Players have been known to strike the ball really hard, crossing 100 kmph easily. For comparison’s sake the fastest a bowler in cricket has ever bowled is 161.3 kmph.
Players like Roberto Carlos, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham and others are known to have an incredible shot in them, with the Brazilian scoring with a thunderbolt strike against France in the Confederations Cup when he hit the ball from a dead ball situation at an incredible speed of 138 kmph.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, hit a pile driver when he scored against Anderlecht in the Champions League at an astonishing speed of 150 kmph!
David Beckham scored a pile driver when he scored a really hard strike against Chelsea in February 1997 in the Premier League. It was struck at a speed of 157.5 kmph! Although he looks like a player who is on the delicate side, he did have a wicked strike in him.
Below we take a look at the top 5 fastest strikes in football:
1) David Hirst – 183 kmph
David Hirst of Sheffield Wednesday scored a rocket of a shot when he hit a shot with 183 kmph against Arsenal at Highbury in September 1996. Although the shot was hit fiercely, it could not find its way in the back of the net, as it came off the crossbar. That was one incredible attempt and I am pretty sure no one would want to get in its way!
What’s interesting is that then Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson attempted to sign the Sheffield Wednesday man six times, failing all the times. Instead, they signed Eric Cantona and the rest is history.
He left for Southampton for a price of £2 million, a club record, where he hung up his boots after playing just 30 league matches in three years.
2) Ronald Koeman – 188 kmph
Ronald Koeman despite being a defender finds himself in the list as he scored a bullet when he fired home a cracking shot hit at a speed of 188 kmph. He was playing for Barcelona in the Champions Cup final in 1992 against Sampdoria. It was from a free kick when his teammate flicked the ball for him to run and lash the ball in the bottom left of the goal. Whew!
The Dutchman was a key figure in Barcelona’s team as he helped the club lift four La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy. He is currently serving as the manager of Merseyside based club Everton, after finding great success with Southampton after guiding them to a sixth placed finish, their highest.
3) Steven Reid – 189 kmph
Steven Reid of Blackburn Rovers hit an incredible fast shot when he scored a stunning piledriver against his future club Wigan Athletic in the Premier League at an astonishing speed of 189 kmph. Yes. It was that fierce. Imagine the condition of the keeper when he realised that a bullet just flew past him?
Some fans in ecstasy even said that if the keeper got hit by Steven Reid’s shot he would be sent to prison for manslaughter!
Reid was part of the 2002 World Cup where the Irish lost out in the round-of-16 stage to Spain. The right back is currently serving as the first team coach of championship club Reading.
4) Arjen Robben – 190 kmph
Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich scored from an insanely fierce volley against rivals Borussia Dortmund in a friendly match at an incredible speed of 190 kmph! It was hit so fiercely at the keeper that the keeper couldn’t even do anything about it but to see it slam the back of the net.
Robben has been incredible in Bayern Munich’s exploits in the Bundesliga and played an integral part in their Champions League winning squad. The forward has been extremely prolific for the Bavarians as he scored 77 goals in 142 league appearances for Munich.
He would surely make his fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman proud!
5) Ronny Heberson – 210 kmph
The footballer with the most powerful shot ever recorded by mankind is Ronny Heberson! The Sporting Lisbon’s defender scored a massive shot from a dead ball situation against league competitors Associacao Naval de Maio at an incredible speed of 211 kmph!
You read it right! It was that fast. What’s funny is that one of the fastest trains in India is 140 kmph! Each and every footballer on this list has scored a goal with a faster speed! Ronny’s shot is considered as a thunder strike.
It’s amazing that it ended in the back of the net and not some rival defender’s delicate areas! His record does not look like it will be broken anytime soon. Although his career did not pick up pace, his shot will go down in history as the fastest ever.
