Two of the Premier League’s fastest stars took part in a foot race on Saturday and it was pretty epic.
Manchester City were hosting Fulham in the Premier League in a match that ended 3-2 to the defending champions, but it wasn’t any of the goals that got fans talking.
Instead it was a swift moment in which Kyle Walker and Adama Traore went head-to-head in a race to the ball.
Walker, who has recently been recalled to England’s squad for the upcoming internationals, is known for his pace – it’s a major part of his arsenal that has made one of football’s toughest defenders to beat.
Traore might not be renowned for being a Premier League star, but there’s no doubting that the winger is arguably the fastest footballer on the planet right now.
As Fulham hit City on the counter, Raul Jimenez clipped a ball forward into a space behind Man City’s back-four, allowing Walker and Traore to get their skates on.
Incredibly, despite starting significantly behind the Man City defender, Traore was able to not only catch up with the right-back but overtake him as he continued his run towards goal.
It was an epic showing of pace, but unfortunately Traore was unable to cap off his incredible burst with a good finish as goalkeeper Ederson smothered his effort at goal.
Reacting to the race, one fan on social media said: “The way Adama Traore left Kyle Walker there was astonishing. Walker had a head start too. Adama is a scary athlete.”
A second commented: “People making it sound like Adama wouldn’t do this to any version of Walker.”
Meanwhile a third said: “Traore left Walker in the mud there. Insane pace.”
Are you taking notice, Usain Bolt?
3
3
Now with Fulham, Spanish speedster Traore has been lighting up the Premier League with his pace for many years after spells with Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Wolves.
A product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy – and later returning to Barca in a surprise 2022 loan deal – Traore reportedly hit a speed of 23.48mph during a study of the 2019/20 campaign.
While Traore came out on top in the race, it would take some doing for him to beat Olympics icon Bolt, with the Jamaican coming out on top in a series of pretty spectacular fictional races.
In a sprint contest no-one asked for, he eased to victory over Cristiano Ronaldo… but was beaten to the finish line by an ostrich.
Bolt even joined in on the fun, where he posted, ‘Ouch,’ on social media after learning all the animals that are quicker than he is.
Thankfully for Bolt’s ego, he comes out on top against a Jack Russell, a roadrunner and even an elephant.
Unsurprisingly, though, he came up short in a simulated race against the world’s fast land animal – a cheetah.
