FASTEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYERS RANKED — SHOCKING NAMES MAKE THE LIST

Mohamed Salah is faster than Micky van de Ven this UCL season! New data reveals the top 15 fastest players, with Lois Openda leading and Salah outpacing the EPL's speed record holder.

Fastest Champions League Players Ranked — Shocking Names Make The List
Mohamed Salah, aged 33, is one of the fastest players in the Champions League this season

It is hard to believe, but Mohamed Salah is faster than the fastest Premier League player ever. Sort of. 

According to fresh Champions League data, the 33-year-old has outperformed Tottenham's incredibly athletic Micky van de Ven in terms of speed thus far this season.

Although Salah easily places among the top 15 fastest talents in the Champions League this season, a striker that Manchester United has previously tracked takes first place. 

GPS vests are used to monitor players' highest speeds, and UEFA shares the standings of the continent's fastest men. 

Tottenham and Liverpool both have two players in the top 15, and Chelsea supporters can rejoice because one of their summer acquisitions is ranked seventh. 

Lois Openda, who is on loan at Juventus from RB Leipzig, is the fastest runner in the Champions League this season, with a high speed of 36.2 km/h. 

One of the fastest players in the Champions League this season is 33-year-old Mohamed Salah. 

He has outpaced the fastest Premier League player ever, Micky van de Ven.

Lois Openda, a forward on loan from Juventus, is in first place with a lightning-fast 36.2 km/h.

According to reports, he has previously been considered by teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Aston Villa. He has not scored this season, though, after having a successful few seasons for Vitesse, Lens, and Leipzig. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is 36 years old and has a top speed of 35.8 km/h for Marseille, is in second position.  

With four goals in seven games, the former Arsenal player has jumped right in for Roberto De Zerbi's team. It should come as no surprise that he scored 30 goals for them in 2023–2024 before joining Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League and scoring 21 goals the previous season. 

For Liverpool supporters, Jeremie Frimpong's third-place finish and best speed of 35.6 km/h is fantastic news. 

After leaving Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5 million, the right-back has had a rocky start, but he apparently has rockets in his boots. 

Pedro Neto of Chelsea comes in seventh on the list with a top speed of 34.9 km/h. 

Neto, who cost £54 million to sign from Wolves, has already established himself as a regular on either the left or right wing of Enzo Maresca's starting lineup. He had a strong game over the weekend, scoring and providing an assist against Nottingham Forest to help dismiss Ange Postecoglou. 

Djed Spence, a recent England star, is in ninth place. The Spurs left-back is now the fastest player in his position in the continent's top competition, with a maximum speed of 34.5 km/h. 

The 36-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the competition's second-fastest player. 

In a boost for Liverpool, Jeremie Frimpong is the third-fastest player in the Champions League.

When not playing with cones, Pedro Neto of Chelsea is the seventh-quickest 

Tottenham's newly-capped England player Djed Spence starts in eighth on the left wing. 

Lower down, Mohamed Salah recorded a top speed of 34.3 km/h, earning him joint-10th place. 

The Egyptian has been accused of losing his legs, and his form has fallen off a cliff, but this statistic contradicts that claim and shows that he still has the afterburners to turn on when he needs them.

Van de Ven, who settles for joint-14th place with Nicolas Pepe of Villarreal on 34.2 km/h, is beaten by it.

When the Dutchman scorched past Brentford a few seasons back, he set a new Premier League speed record, clocking in at 37.38 km/h.

You might be shocked to learn how little players can truly sprint, but having that extra gear is crucial for avoiding the offside trap, making lung-busting runs from midfield, and catching a striker with a recovery run. 

Less than 1% of a football player's time is spent sprinting. 

For instance, by March 25 of last season, Anthony Gordon of Newcastle had spent more time sprinting than any other player in the Premier League, while only doing so 1.17 per cent of the time. This is not a statistic that is frequently discussed. 

The quickest players in the Champions League are:

1) Lois Openda from Juventus, clocking in at 36.2 km/h.

2) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Marseille, with a speed of 35.8 km/h.

3) Jeremie Frimpong from Liverpool, reaching 35.6 km/h.

4) Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi, at 35.4 km/h.

5) Raoul Bellanova of Atalanta, also at 35 km/h.

5) Bradley Barcola from PSG, matching the same speed of 35 km/h.

7) Pedro Neto of Chelsea, running at 34.9 km/h.

8) Djed Spence from Tottenham, with a speed of 34.5 km/h.

9) Nuno Mendes of PSG, clocking in at 34.4 km/h.

10) Timothy Weah from Marseille, reaching 34.3 km/h.

10) Lloyd Kelly from Juventus, also at 34.3 km/h.

10) Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, matching the speed of 34.3 km/h.

10) Mason Greenwood from Marseille, at 34.3 km/h.

14) Micky van de Ven of Tottenham, with a speed of 34.2 km/h.

14) Nicolas Pepe from Villarreal, also at 34.2 km/h.

ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION

Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.

top-news
Arsenal Bag Extra £15.9m Prize Money After Historic Champions League Semifinal - Photo Credit: PA

Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.

Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.

From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.

That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.

By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.

They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.

Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.

It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.

Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.

PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.

Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.

JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL

Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.

top-news
Oblak Demands Mentality Shift At Atletico After Crashing Out To Arsenal - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.

Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”

He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”

On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”

Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”

At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a

Read More News