The football fans all around the world are still reeling in the hangover of one of the most exciting group stages in the recent history of international football tournaments. The UEFA Euro 2016 group stage saw 24 teams taking part in it instead of 16 for the first time in its history.
For the tournament biggies, be it Dimitri Payet or Andres Iniesta, who were outstanding performers for their teams in the first two matches, or even a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, who gave his all in the last group F match to drag Portugal to the knockouts. On the other hand, some unfancied nations showed brilliant teamwork and defied all odds to make it to the next round.
Although here we are focussing on a specific physical aspect of the players which, if not the most important, certainly is ONE of the most important attributes to have in today’s football – Speed. Fast players can bring a directness to the team, they can outrun the opposition and become a medium to wreak havoc on the opponent’s defence.
Most of the teams have one and same is the case in Euro 2016, usual suspects to be one of the fastest might be Gareth Bale, Raheem Sterling or Ronaldo. But here is a list of five players who have clocked the highest speeds in the tournament so far and it features none of the above-mentioned favourites.
*The sprint speeds have been rounded off.
#5 Yannick Carrasco (Belgium) – 32 km/h
Carrasco, who joined Atletico Madrid from Monaco last season, scored five goals and gave four assists for the Los Rojiblancos in the 2015-16 season. He really caught everyone’s eye after his Champions League final equaliser against Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old winger has played a total of 150 minutes in three matches for the Red Devils in the Euro 2016, starting in the 3-0 win over Ireland and 1-0 win over Sweden, and coming off the bench in their opening match, a 2-0 defeat against Italy.
Carrasco, who prefers playing on the right flank is fifth in this list of fastest players in the tournament so far.
#4 Sime Vrsaljko (Croatia) – 32 km/h
Vrsaljko has spent his last three years playing in Italy, the 2013-14 season at Genoa and then the next two seasons at Sassuolo. Due to his impressive performances in the Serie A, the right back was bought by Atletico Madrid as a replacement for Juanfran, on June 23 for a reported fee of €16 million plus €2 million bonuses.
The 24-year-old, due to the presence of Darijo Srna at the right-back position, has not been able to cement his position in the Croatian team. After spending the match against Turkey on the bench, Vrsaljko came on for a couple of minutes against the Czech Republic and started at left-back in the incredible 2-1 win over Spain.
Vrsaljko clocked the highest speed of 32 km/h and is fourth on this list.
#3 Emre Mor (Turkey) – 32 km/h
The Turkish wonder kid's performance was probably the only positive the Turks must have carried back home. Mor came off the bench against Croatia but made his first start for the senior team against the Czech Republic in the 2-0 win.
The 18-year-old has everything, dazzling pace, slick movement and an eye for a pass. The winger, who was signed by Borussia Dortmund on June 7, has even earned praises from Arsene Wenger, which says a lot about the potential he has.
Being one of the players on this list only strengthens the fact that Mor is certainly a player to keep an eye on and hopefully he will keep amazing us with his searing pace and quick movements in the years to come.
#2 Josh Magennis (Northern Ireland) – 32 km/h
Magennis plays for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock and scored 10 goals for them in the 2015-16 season. Not a regular starter for the Northern Ireland, Magennis came off the bench in the 2-0 win over Ukraine and then in the 1-0 loss to Germany.
The 26 minutes which the 25-year-old striker has played in the tournament so far, were enough for him to clock one of the fastest speeds in the Euro 2016. Magennis, along with his teammates, will be willing to bring out their best in the round-of-16 match against Wales.
#1 Kingsley Coman (France) – 33 km/h
Kingsley Coman is currently one of the brightest prospects in European football at the moment. The French prodigy has been in the limelight recently due to his dazzling performances for Bayern Munich earlier this season, for whom he scored six goals and gave as many as 11 assists.
The 20-year-old, after making a substitute appearance in the opening match against Romania, started the next two matches against Albania and Switzerland. He clocked the fastest speed of the tournament against Switzerland on June 19.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that Coman has topped a ‘fastest players’ list. In the Bundesliga, the winger clocked a speed of 35.06 km/h against Hamburg and was named the fastest player for the Bundesliga 2015-16 season.
Stats from uefa.com, updated till before the first round-of-16 match between Poland and Switzerland.
