Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo set a personal record for maximum speed in a Euro final when participating in this year’s tournament.
In the past two matches at Euro 2024 against the Czechs and Turkey, Ronaldo reached a maximum speed of 32.7 km/h, ranking fifth in the team, behind Rafael Leao, Nuno Mendes, Pedro Neto and Diogo Jota.
However, this is the best parameter of the 39-year-old superstar since UEFA started speed statistics at the 2012 tournament.
Ronaldo (right) misses a chance in the match against Czech Republic in Group F of the Euro at Red Bull Stadium, Leipzig, Germany on June 18, 2024. Photo: Reuters
In the previous three editions, Ronaldo’s maximum speed at Euro was 32, 29.1 and 29.7 km/h respectively. That means at the age of 39, he ran faster than when he was 27 years old at Euro 2012. Meanwhile, midfielder Pepe reached a maximum speed of 33 km/h at Euro 2012, the highest in Portugal, but dropped to 31 km/h this time, at the age of 41.
Maximum speed, according to UEFA, is calculated when a player reaches the highest speed in a match, both with and without the ball, over a certain distance. The world’s fastest runner, Usain Bolt, once reached a maximum speed of 44.72 km/h. When he set a world record of running 100m in 9.58 seconds, his average speed reached 37.58 km/h.
At Euro 2024, the player with the best speed is striker Valentin Mihaila (Romania) with 35.8 km/h, then Dan Ndoye (Switzerland) 35.6 and Rasmus Hojlund (Denmark) 35.5 km/h. Kylian Mbappe has only reached a speed of 35 km/h, only ranked seventh, while Ronaldo is outside the Top 100.
Ronaldo is the second oldest player in this tournament, after Pepe himself. He is waiting for the opportunity to become the oldest player to score at a Euro finals, surpassing the record Luka Modric just set on the evening of June 24, with a goal against Italy. Ronaldo and his teammates will play the final group stage match against Georgia on the evening of June 26, when they are sure to advance with first place in Group F.
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