Erling Haaland is universally recognised as one of the most physically impressive footballers on the planet, and it plays a key role in his consistent success.

His game is built on power, movement and physicality, and it directly enhances his ability to score goals at a freakish rate, and it’s even more impressive that he stands extremely tall at 1.95m.

It makes him a defender’s worst nightmare, and it’s the reason why he sits among the best players on the planet. But just how fast is Haaland? And how does he compare to other footballers and other athletes?

How Fast Is Erling Haaland?

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We know he’s fast, but just how fast is his total speed? According to UEFA, his career high speed came in the Champions League 2024/25 season, with 36.9 km/h.

Typically, players never record their top speed on the pitch. This is because it occurs during 30–40m of clean acceleration and most match sprints don’t tend to exceed 20m, according to multiple sources.

Most top speeds recorded are when there are unobstructed transition moments, usually on the counter-attack or something that resembles a track sprinter’s runway and football has too many variables.

It means Haaland’s genuine top-end speed is likely higher than any figure we’ve actually seen recorded.

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Haaland’s pure power and pace puts him within the elite bracket of players. However, he isn’t at the summit of the fastest players. With technology getting increasingly better over time, the last decade has given us detailed and accurate comparisons.

Speeds that have been recorded faster than Haaland’s 36.9 km/h include a handful of players. In the Premier League, five players hit a quicker figure. Anthony Elanga (36.91), Chiedozie Ogbene (36.93), Jackson Tchatchoua (37.30), Kyle Walker (37.31) and Micky van den Ven took the top spot with an incredible 37.38 km/h.

At the top of the list is Kylian Mbappé with 38.00 km/h, who achieved it against Monaco whilst playing for Paris Saint-Germain. There are other so-called recorded figures, but they aren’t from reputable sources.

How Does Haaland Compare to Other Athletes?

Whilst his speed on a football pitch is frightening, when it compares to other athletes, it is certainly put into perspective rather quickly. Other athletes to compare include American Football, Rugby Union, Rugby 7s and the Australian Football League.

Oleg Markov in the AFL and Tyreek Hill in the NFL both recorded 37.4 km/h (roughly 23.24 mph) in 2019 and 2016 respectively. Ahead of that are Jonny May and Louis Bielle-Biarrey in Rugby Union and Gary Rohan and Charlie Comben in the AFL — with all four registering 37.8 km/h.

The only two other fastest times are in Rugby 7s, with Perry Baker/Marcos Moneta scoring 40.3 km/h in the HSBC World Series. Sitting in second place is the fastest ever speed recorded on a rugby pitch by Carlin Isles at 41.4 km/h.

At the top of the tree is the fastest man ever recorded: Usain Bolt. His 100m world record in 2009 was measured at 44.72 km/h (27.8 mph), which is roughly eight km/h quicker than Haaland’s peak. That demonstrates the pure velocity that sprinters possess in comparison.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has lashed out at the controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban until next year to make him available for the World Cup quarter-final vs Belgium.

The striker was dismissed for an accidental challenge on Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic following a VAR check. But the intervention sparked outrage as there appeared to be no intent.

However, there have now been suggestions that the United States of America have been given preferential treatment over the Balogun case as a host nation. A phone call made by the White House and Donald Trump’s close relationship with Gianni Infantino have done nothing to quash those complaints.

Sepp Blatter Takes Aim at FIFA Over Balogun Saga

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Blatter, who stepped down from his position as FIFA boss in 2015 due to investigations over fraud and corruption, has now weighed in on the Balogun controversy.

The 90-year-old has made it very clear that he’s not happy about politics being involved in football. He slammed the idea that ‘political phone calls’ could have any bearing on the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban. He tweeted:

It’s not the first time he’s been outspoken about issues around the 2026 World Cup. In fact, Blatter urged fans to boycott the United States of America this summer.

FIFA’s Reasoning For Folarin Balogun Decision

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

FIFA have denied any political influence on the decision, stating it was made by an independent committee. A statement from world football’s governing body said:

But what is ‘Article 27’? Well, the rule book states: “The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.

“If the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

A BBC commentator has come under fire after ‘disgraceful’ comments that he made during a match at Wimbledon sparked serious controversy on social media.

Andrew Castle is commentating on his last Wimbledon this year, and he stirred up some controversy during Jannik Sinner’s most recent match at the tournament. The BBC is looking to modernise its output and, as a result, Castle is having to take a step back from his long-tenured position as the lead commentator at the event.

It had been reported that the BBC’s Director of Sport, Alex Kay-Jelksi, had wanted to keep Castle on as part of the commentary team but no longer as lead. This changed when Castle decided to quit the corporation following the news that he would be forced to step down, meaning this year’s tournament will be his last.

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Unfortunately, it seems that his exit won’t be as smooth as might have liked. Not only did his co-commentator, Todd Woodbridge, have to step in to shut him down, but viewers at home were left stunned and disgusted by what Castle had to say.

While Sinner was 4-3 up in the second set, Castle had this to say about his opponent, Shintaro Mochizuki: “It probably feels for Sinner like this guy didn’t play the game.”Woodbridge then pushed back on these comments, calling them ‘harsh’ immediately.

However, Castle wasn’t done there, and he doubled down on his views.

“You know what I mean? When you are trying to break someone down that is clearly inferior in so many departments and yet so awkward, I am full of admiration for Mochizuki, but this is the way Sinner feels now, I am sure.”

Woodbridge would again try to defend Mochizuki by saying that “because there isn’t the regular power and shot shape we see in the game today, it is a throwback type of game.”

Fans were unhappy with these comments, blasting them as unfair towards Mochizuki, who had made a good account of himself in the match-up against the world No.1. One user on X had this to say: “I’ve never heard anything that disgraceful from a commentator in tennis before, just ugly.”

Another user wanted to make sure the BBC saw their frustration and tagged them in a post which read: “@bbctennis @BBCSport Andrew Castle basically saying Mochizuki is crap and can’t play tennis. What round of Wimbledon did you get to in your career, then, Andrew?”

Castle has admitted to being hurt by the decision to have him removed from his position at the prestigious event. He said to the Daily Telegraph before the tournament started: “Am I upset? Yeah, I was upset, and I will stay that way this year, knowing it’s my last. But all good things come to an end.”

As for Sinner, his march towards a second Wimbledon triumph continues as he reaches the quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive year. He will go up against German Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday.