Kyle Walker recorded a blistering top speed of 35.32km/h for Man City this month… but can you name the two ex-Premier League stars who are faster AND older than the 33-year-old as of 2020?
- Veteran Kyle Walker remains one of the fastest players in the Premier League
- The 33-year-old has played every minute of Man City’s league season so far
- It’s the world against Everton – it can motivate the players to stay up – IAKO
Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker has made a great start to the 2023-24 season and shows no signs of slowing down – in more ways than one – despite turning 33 in May.
The five-time Premier League champion has played every minute for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, displaying the trademark speed and anticipation that has made him one of the greatest players of his generation in his position.
Walker routinely features in top speed rankings alongside players several years younger than him, but according to data from Opta, he is not the holder of the fastest speed recorded for a player aged 33 or over since the start of the 2020-21 season .
His top speed of 35.32km/h, achieved in City’s 6-1 win over Bournemouth at the Etihad earlier this month, puts him in third place and better figures of 34.57 and 34.65 in games against Arsenal and Burnley respectively are ranked 10th and 8th.
In total, Walker is used three times, more than any other player, but he misses out on the top spot crucially.
Kyle Walker is regularly one of the fastest players in the Premier League and is often at the top, as he was last season
Aaron Lennon (left) and Jamie Vardy (right) have both achieved higher top speeds than Kyle Walker in the Premier League over the last three seasons.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio is the only other player on the list whose top speed comes from this season
That belongs to his former Tottenham teammate Aaron Lennon, who reached an electric top speed of 35.88 km/h at Burnley in 2021.
Even more impressive is the fact that Lennon achieved this feat at 34, a year older than Walker.
Lennon appears twice on the fast veteran list and also comes in fourth place with a top speed of 35.16 km/h against Leicester in 2022.
The only other player to beat Walker’s mark is Jamie Vardy, who finishes with a time of 35.88km/h, which he set against Brentford in October 2021.
Rounding out the top five is West Ham striker Michail Antonio with a top speed of 35.09 km/h. The top ten also includes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Felipe and Ivan Perisic.
The trio took sixth, seventh and ninth place with speeds of 35.05, 35 and 34.59 km/h. Spurs’ Croatian star recorded his time at the age of 34 alongside Lennon and Vardy.