Which players recorded the fastest shots in football?

The fastest shots in football are from a mixture of legends and journeymen. Surprisingly, some of the hardest hitters of a football are not on this top 10 list. There is no room for
English Premier League and Liverpool Football Club legend Steven Gerrard. Gerrard scored
a multitude of career rockets from outside the 18-yard, which fill a two-and-a-half-minute
YouTube video compilation. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, the best striker in history, is missing. Ronaldo’s howitzer for Manchester United against FC Porto in the 2008/09 Champions League season – for which he won the 2009 FIFA Puskás Award – did not enter the top 10 fastest shots in football history list. 

The list of missing players with powerful shots is never-ending. Roberto Carlos scored one of the most incredible free kicks of all time. Still, his wonder goal versus France in the 1997 Le Tournoi de France sits just outside the list in thirteenth. The Brazilian’s free kick defied geometry and took the laws of physics in football to a new level. SportsBoom has ranked the top 10 fastest shots in football history. Enjoy.

The Players with the Fastest Shots in Football History

Many of these quickfire strikes came from players in the English Premier League. Still, there
is also a free kick rocket from a UEFA Champions League final. There’s a thunderbolt from a
teenager who only managed three more career goals after announcing himself to the Premier
League in the mid-1990s and a bullet from ‘Zlatan,’ the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award winner.

Honourable Mention: Matt Le Tissier, Southampton v Newcastle United, January 18, 1997 (140 km/h)

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier misses the top 10 list, with his 140km/h strike against
Newcastle in 1997. Le Tissier’s last-minute equaliser almost broke the net, but the shot
registered 10 km/h slower than tenth-placed Zlatan Ibrahimović.

10.Zlatan Ibrahimović, PSG v Anderlecht, October 23, 2013 (150 km/h)

Ibrahimović rifled a 150km/h curling strike from 25 yards out for Paris Saint-Germain
against Anderlecht in the 2013/14 Champions League. ‘Zlatan’ loved an outrageous acrobatic volley. His 2013 overhead bicycle volley against England saw the Sweden legend pick up the Puskás Award.

9.Tony Yeboah, Wimbledon v Leeds, September 23, 1995 (154km/h)

Tony Yeboah lit up the English Premier League at Leeds. His legendary volley against
Liverpool, which has been voted one of the best Premier League goals of all time, came a
month before this scorcher in Wimbledon.

8.Richie Humphries, Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa, August 17,1996 (154 km/h)

Richie Humphries scored his astonishing left-foot, spinning roundhouse volley against Aston
Villa. His spinning-top 154km/h strike is the tie-eighth fastest shot in football history. The 18- year-old’s memorable goal came on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, the same match- day as David Beckham’s halfway-line goal against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.

7.David Trezeguet, Manchester United v Monaco, March 18, 1998 (154.4 km/h)

A fresh-faced David Trezeguet, who would go on to win France the UEFA Euro 2000
tournament with the first-ever ‘Golden Goal’ in extra time against Italy, edges Yeboah and
Humphries, but not by much. In 1998, Trezeguet stunned Old Trafford with a thunderous
strike – after a neat one-two in the build-up – from the edge of the 18-yard area to announce
himself on the Champions League stage.

6.David Beckham, Manchester United v Chelsea, February 2, 1997 (157.5 km/h)

David Beckham is number six on the fastest shots in football history charts. It was another
classic goal. Beckham was renowned for his bending free kicks and accurate crosses. He
could also put his laces through the ball when offered the opportunity, as Chelsea found out. The United winger almost broke the crossbar with this rocket from close range.

5.David Hirst, Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday, September 16, 1996 (183 km/h)

Another David and another Wednesday player make this elite list. David Hirst’s powerful
shot is one of only five fastest shots in football history to reach 180+ km/h. Hirst’s strike is
the only shot not to find the back of the net. Instead, the ball cracked the woodwork and
rebounded away from goal and to safety

4.Ronald Koeman, Sampdoria v Barcelona, May 20, 1992 (188 km/h)

Ronald Koeman scored one of Barcelona’s most famous goals, which is saying quite a lot
considering the club’s illustrious history. Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff, Rivaldo, and Ronaldo played for Barcelona. However, it is Koeman on the list. The
Dutchman’s indirect free kick in the 1991/92 Champions League final is legendary. Koeman
aimed the shot through the rushing wall and into the bottom corner of the goal to give the
Catalans their first European Cup

3.Steven Reid, Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers, December 31, 2005 (189 km/h)

Steven Reid’s cracker will always be remembered, especially by Wigan and Blackburn
supporters. On a cold and windy New Year’s Eve, Reid hit a swerving volley from outside the 18-yard box, which curled at lightning speed into the top corner of the Wigan goal. Liverpool’s ‘Stevie G’ would hit a similar strike, but from further out, against West Ham
United in the FA Cup final, five months later. Both are memorable and magnificent shots.

2.Arjen Robben, Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid, August 19, 2009 (190 km/h)

Arjen Robben, one of the greatest wingers of all time, scored a left-footed volley that had the
defenders moving away from the fizzing ball. Robben’s sublime volley had Jurgen Klopp
shaking his head, stunned on the Dortmund bench. The game was, however, only a friendly.

1.Ronny Heberson, Naval v Sporting CP, November 26, 2006 (210 km/h)

Ronny Heberson recorded the fastest shot in football history. Heberson’s strike is 20 km/h
quicker than Robben’s rocket. The Brazilian is the only player to clock a shot at more than
200 kilometres an hour. Heberson’s direct free kick was hit with such ferocity that the Naval
goalkeeper could not get a hand on the ball despite it coming straight at him.