Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News 
In a squad boasting a number of the most electrifying skills in world soccer, Actual Madrid isn’t any stranger to producing gamers with distinctive velocity. Los Blancos’ Kylian Mbappe and Manchester Metropolis’s Erling Haaland dominate discussions concerning the quickest gamers within the UEFA Champions League – with Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Rafael Leao of Milan additionally often making the record. But, in a shocking twist, a lesser-known Madrid participant has now joined this elite group, rating among the many quickest on this season’s competitors.
And no, it’s not Vinicius or Jude Bellingham. This surprising title performed a vital function in Actual Madrid’s dramatic Spherical of 16 conflict in opposition to Atletico Madrid, serving to stop Diego Simeone’s facet from taking an combination lead. His impression on the sport was plain, and his defensive heroics have raised critical questions on Madrid’s summer season switch plans.
Raul Asencio has been certainly one of Actual Madrid’s greatest revelations this season. The 22-year-old academy graduate has seized each alternative thrown his method since making his La Liga debut on November 9. Only a few days later, he was thrust into Champions League motion at Anfield in opposition to Liverpool, the place he showcased his composure beneath strain.
Madrid followers have been fast to note one thing acquainted about Asencio’s enjoying model. His aggressive but clever defensive strategy drew comparisons to membership legend Sergio Ramos, along with his aerial dominance and skill to learn the sport marking him as a pure inheritor to the Madrid backline.
With accidents plaguing Madrid’s defensive ranks, Asencio was given an excellent larger accountability within the second leg in opposition to Atletico Madrid. What adopted was a efficiency that not solely solidified his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans but in addition etched his title into Champions League historical past.
File-breaking velocity in opposition to Atletico Madrid
Throughout Madrid’s second-leg battle on the Metropolitano, Asencio’s contribution went past his defensive consciousness—he set a record-breaking dash that shocked even his personal teammates.
When the Purple-Whites launched a harmful counterattack, the Spaniard clocked a high velocity of twenty-two.2 mph (35.8 km/h), the quickest recorded by a center-back on this season’s Champions League. In that second, he confirmed not simply his defensive instincts but in addition his elite athleticism, as he raced again to thwart the transfer.
“On the Metropolitano, he reached the quickest most velocity for a center-back within the Champions League this season,” UEFA confirmed, highlighting simply how spectacular the younger defender’s tempo is.
Amongst Europe’s quickest: Asencio joins Haaland and Mbappe
Along with his exceptional dash, Asencio entered the highest 10 quickest gamers of the 2024-25 Champions League season. The record options a few of soccer’s most devastating runners:
Erling Haaland (22.7 mph / 36.6 km/h) – The Manchester Metropolis striker continues to dominate when it comes to pure acceleration.Achraf Hakimi (22.7 mph / 36.6 km/h) – PSG’s flying full-back stays probably the most explosive defenders within the sport.Kylian Mbappe (22.6 mph / 36.4 km/h) – No shock right here, because the Actual Madrid ahead is a continuing menace in transition.Raul Asencio (22.2 mph / 35.8 km/h) – The quickest center-back within the competitors this season.
Among the many ones he outran within the rankings? Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone (22.2 mph / 35.7 km/h) and Rafael Leao (22.1 mph / 35.5 km/h)—two gamers identified for his or her unimaginable tempo.
