Micky van de Ven has sprinted into the history books by becoming the fastest player recorded in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender, who hit a top speed of 35.97 km/h playing for Wolfsburg last campaign, went even faster by clocking an astonishing 37.38 km/h against Brentford on 31 January, a record in the Premier League since the data started being collected in 2020/21.
To put his feat into context, Van de Ven's blistering pace against Brentford was clocked at 10.38m per second, or 23.23 miles per hour. When sprint star Usain Bolt set the current 100m world record in 2009, his average speed was 10.44m per second, or 23.35mph (37.58 km/h).
The statistics show that the speed in the Premier League is notably increasing, with SEVEN of the top 10 speeds being recorded this season.
Fastest PL players*
| Player | Club | Match | Km/h |
| Micky van de Ven | TOT | v BRE (31/01/24) | 37.38 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Walker | MCI | v EVE (14/05/23) | 37.31 |
| Chiedozie Ogbene | LUT | v FUL (16/09/23) | 36.93 |
| Pedro Neto | WOL | v LUT (23/09/23) | 36.86 |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | LIV | v WOL (16/09/23) | 36.76 |
| Dara O'Shea | BUR | v CRY (4/11/23) | 36.73 |
| Antonio Rudiger | CHE | v BHA (29/12/21) | 36.72 |
| Brennan Johnson | NFO | v MCI (18/02/23) | 36.70 |
| Anthony Gordon | NEW | v BUR (30/09/23) | 36.68 |
| Amadou Onana | EVE | v LIV (21/10/23) | 36.65 |
*since 2020/21
Van de Ven is proving to be hugely influential for Spurs in his debut season, with his recovery pace crucial for Ange Postecoglou's high defensive line.
Indeed, the Dutchman's explosive speed was on show again at the weekend, when he effortlessly made up ground to get a tackle in on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, before doing the same in the second half with a turbo-charged recovery after Jack Harrison had sprinted clear.
Fastest players in 2023/24
Until Van de Ven's lung-bursting run in Spurs' 3-2 win against Brentford, Luton Town's Chiedozie Ogbene had recorded the top Premier League speed this season of just under 37km/h against Fulham in September.
Van de Ven's time is even more remarkable due to it being a huge 0.45km/h quicker than the fastest speed recorded by Ogbene, who had been a mere 0.07km/h faster than Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is fourth-fastest this season at 36.76 km/h, narrowly edging out Burnley defender Dara O'Shea.