35.8 km/h: CIES study crowns Manchester City defender Husanov with a record
The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES Football Observatory) has presented a new analytical report dedicated to the fastest players competing in the UEFA Champions League.
According to the results of this prestigious study, English club Manchester City and Uzbekistan national team member Abduqodir Husanov was recognized as the undisputed fastest central defender in his position in Europe.
Husanov's 35.8 km/h mark: How the record was set?
In the ranking among central defenders, Husanov left the stars of powerhouse teams behind with his phenomenal speed:
Maximum speed: The Uzbek footballer reached a speed of 35.8 kilometers per hour on the pitch, taking absolute 1st place in his position;
Leaving competitors behind: Husanov also outpaced Micky van de Ven of Tottenham, considered one of the fiercest defenders in Europe;
Faster even than forwards: His indicator turned out to be higher than the maximum speed of Kylian Mbappé (35.7 km/h), who led among central strikers.
Who leads in other positions?
CIES analysts formed a top-20 list showing the highest speed indicators across five separate positions:
Wingers: The title of the fastest running player in the tournament went to Newcastle representative Anthony Gordon — his maximum indicator reached 37.9 kilometers per hour;
Full-backs: Representatives of PSG lead in this direction, specifically Achraf Hakimi recorded a speed of 36.4 kilometers per hour, followed by Nunu Mendes;
Central midfielders: Tottenham's young talent Archie Gray became the division leader with a speed of 34.8 kilometers per hour;
Central strikers: Real Madrid star Kilian Mbappé was named the fastest among forwards with a result of 35.7 kilometers per hour.
"Stars walking on the pitch": Analysis of speed distribution
The study closely examined not only maximum speed, but also the distance covered by players across speed categories. An interesting trend was identified among the 100 selected players:
Most walking at low speed (under 7 km/h): Central strikers led in this category. Kilian Mbappé spent 43.5 percent of his total distance covered on the pitch walking and taking slow steps, Victor Osimhen 41.9 percent, and Luis Suárez 40.1 percent;
Midfielders in relentless motion: The players who walked less on the pitch and constantly moved at a high tempo were central midfielders — Håkon Evjen (23.0%), João Simões (24.1%), and Lucas Bergvall (25.2%).
Abduqodir Husanov's ability to combine high positional awareness with unrivaled speed, much like the most modern defenders, proves once again that his role in the Manchester City defense is growing steadily.
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