Feb 18, 2026, 02:31 PM
Open Extended Reactions
Two English players have been clocked as the fastest winger and midfielder in the Champions League this season.
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United and Archie Gray of Tottenham Hotspur have topped the speed categories in their positions, according to a new study by the 'CIES Football Observatory.'
Intriguingly, three of the five fastest wingers/attacking midfielders belong to Newcastle. Behind Gordon, who was clocked at a top speed of 37.92 km/h, was his teammate Anthony Elanga. Carlos Forbs of Club Brugge was third-fastest winger, ahead of Qarabag's Emmanuel Addai, and Newcastle's Harvey Barnes.
Spurs teenager Gray was clocked at a top speed of 34.82 km/h, faster than any other midfielder in the competition. Teammate Lucas Bergvall was third-fastest.
- Why Champions League seems so easy for Premier League teams: 5 reasons
- Real Madrid learned lesson from Champions League loss to Benfica
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid was the fastest striker at 35.67 km/h. But Erling Haaland was restricted to fourth-quickest, behind Mbappé, Loïs Openda and Hugo Ekitike.
Manchester City's Abdukodir Khusanov edged the famously pacey Micky van de Ven of Spurs as the fastest defender. Paris Saint-Germain duo Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes were the fastest full-backs respectively, followed by City's Nico O'Reilly.
Fastest defenders in the Champions League
According to study conducted by The Football Observatory research group.
Fastest full-backs/wingers in the Champions League
Achraf Hakimi (PSG): 36.4 km/h
Nuno Mendes (PSG): 36.12 km/h
Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City): 35.91 km/h
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid): 35.53 km/h
Iván Fresneda (Sporting): 35.08 km/h
Fastest Champions League midfielders
Archie Gray is the fastest midfielder in the Champions League according to a recent study. Getty
Fastest attacking midfielders/wingers in the Champions League
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle): 37.92 km/h
Anthony Elanga (Newcastle): 36.65
Carlos Forbs (Club Brugge): 35.93 km/h
Emmanuel Addai (Qarabag): 35.87 km/h
Harvey Barnes (Newcastle): 35.48 km/h
Fastest centre-forwards in the Champions League
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid): 35.67 km/h
Loïs Openda (Juventus): 35.16 km/h
Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool): 34.91 km/h
Erling Haaland (Manchester City): 34.87 km/h
Christian Kofane (Bayer Leverkusen): 34.84 km/h