Top 5 fastest footballers (Video)

Footballers and sprinters are often interchangeable, with Olympians such as Greg Rutherford, Christian Malcolm and Darren Campbell all turning down the chance to play football to focus on athletics. But plenty of footballers could also have been sprinters in another life. Players with pace can often frustrate with their poor all-round play, but more often than not this level of speed can be a powerful weapon for a team. Here are my top-five fastest footballers based on their personal best 100m times.

5. Obafemi Martins- 100m best 10.68 seconds.

Martins was unplayable on his day, but was often very inconsistent during his time at Newcastle. His pace was well-renowned and feared by defenders who would often drop deeper when he was playing. His time at Newcastle will be most remembered for this wonder goal against Tottenham in 2007.

4. Samuel Eto’o

Although I couldn’t find a 100m time for Eto’o, many would still consider him one of the world’s fastest players (as well as being one of the wealthiest.) This amazing run against Werder Bremen shows just how quick the Cameroonian was in his Barcelona days.

3. David Odonkor- 10.60

A right-winger plagued by injuries, Odonkor was one of the stars of Germany’s 2006 World Cup campaign and had a promising future, but has since largely dropped off the map. Now playing in Ukraine, Odonkor has lightning quick acceleration which he uses to full effect in this goal for Borussia Dortmund

2. Bernard Mendy- 10.49

Mendy is possibly the fastest defender ever, with incredible pace used in over-lapping runs. In this game from France he easily gets the better of Roberto Carlos as he bursts forward to start an attack from nothing.

1. Theo Walcott- 10.30

Many often criticise Walcott for not having a game other than his pace, but his dribbling and finishing ability has really improved during his time at Arsenal and now is an-all round striker. Walcott has said his best time is 10.30 seconds, and has challenged any Premiership player to a race. This compilation shows how easily Theo can beat defenders, and how important his turn of pace is for Arsenal.