37.38km/h. The fastest player in Europe, not surprisingly a striker?
The fastest player on the European stage was surprisingly a "center back" rather than a striker. British media outlet '90min' selected the top 10 fastest players of the season. The fastest man in Europe was neither a striker nor a midfielder but a center back. It was Mickey van der Ben, 22, the rising star of Tottenham Hotspur. Van der Ben's top speed at Tottenham this season is 37.38km/h, higher than Kyle Walker 37.31km/h, once considered the fastest player in Europe. Van der Ben, who joined Tottenham under Coach Enzi Postecoglou this season, has become a "light" for Tottenham's unstable defense. He has great strength in his man-made defense based on his signature fast speed and height 191 cm. He also has strength in his rear build-up, which used to be considered Tottenham's weakness. Van der Ben has been growing fast since he made his professional debut at FC Polendam in the Netherlands less than four years ago. He joined VfL Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga in two years, and although he failed to make the finals together, he was also included in the preliminary list of the Netherlands for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. Van der Ben, nicknamed the second Van Dijk for his similar defensive style, wore Tottenham's uniform, which he was trying to strengthen his defense ahead of the 2023/24 season. For Tottenham, which suffered from sluggish existing defensive resources such as Eric Dier-Davinson Sanchez, it was like hell. Van der Ben was followed by top players such as Walker, Pedro Netu Wolverhampton Wanderers, 36.86 km/h, Dominic Sobosley Liverpool, 36.76 km/h, Antonio Rudiger Real Madrid, 36.7 km/h, and Anthony Gordon Newcastle United, 36.68 km/h. It's not just that. Van de Ben ranked 29th in the "Telegraph" top 30 Premier Leaguer list of the first half of the year. World Class players took a place in the line of rankings. Given that he is still young, attention is also focusing on how far Van de Ben will grow. Tottenham manager Postecoglou also praised Van de Ben. In an interview with Football London in February, Postecoglou said, "Van de Ben's speed and return to defense are truly remarkable. Considering that he only played in the Bundesliga for about a year, we have more to look forward to."