Theo Walcott Ignores Mbappe, Kyle Walker As He Names Player Quicker Than Him in His Prime

• Theo Walcott made a surprise pick for a player he believes would be quicker than him
• The former Arsenal and England star retired in 2023, aged 34 after an 18-year career
• Walcott snubbed the likes of Kyle Walker and Alphonso Davies with his surprising pick

Theo Walcott left fans surprised when he was asked to pick a player he believed would be quicker than himself in his prime.

One of Walcott’s most renowned attributes in his career as a football player was his frightening pace which always left defenders clutching at straws.

In his heyday, the former Arsenal man could take on almost anyone in a foot race on the football pitch, and is said to have reached speeds of up to 35 kilometres per hour.

To put things to perspective, this is faster than Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery’s recorded top speeds, according to Feed me Goal.

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But despite some known speedsters like Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappe and more recently Erling Haaland in world football, Walcott reckons one underrated player would cause him problems when it comes to pace.

During a recent interview with GOAL, the former Southampton man took part in the Tiktok challenge where a player stays quiet until the name of a player who is pacier than him is read out.

Interestingly, Walcott stayed quiet as Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Darwin Nunez, Walker and Alphonso Davies’ names were read out loud.

He went a step further by snubbing Vinicius Junior and departing Paris Saint Germain star Kylian Mbappe, who has reached top speeds of 36.08 kilometres per hour.

Who did Walcott pick?

Instead, Walcott spoke up when Fulham winger Adama Traore’s name was read out loud, and he had a perfectly candid reason why.

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“I was waiting for you to say Adama,” he told the interviewer. “Everytime I see this guy play, I’m in awe of just how quick he is.”

To be fair, Walcott was tackling the question of quick players, and it is easy to see why he went for Traore.

Despite his bulky physique, the Fulham man is quite light on his feet, and has an incredible ability to beat a man.

He is also quite pacey, with speeds of up to 36.64, which is among the fastest in Premier League history.

Jorginho’s top 5 PL players

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported on Jorginho’s pick for his top five Premier League players.

As expected, the Arsenal man had both Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne on his list.

One surprise name that also made the Italian’s list was his former teammate Reece James.