Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman the Bundesliga's fastest-ever player
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman set a new Bundesliga record against Paderborn on Matchday 6 by clocking a top speed of 22.16 miles per hour (35.66 km/h), officially making him the fastest-ever player in the league.
Nobody else has achieved such a turf-burning pace in Germany's top flight since detailed data collection began in 2011.
The record – one of an incredible 41 sprints Coman made in Bayern's 3-2 victory - will have come as something of a surprise for the jet-heeled France international, who confessed at the start of the season that he actually felt more sluggish than in previous years.
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's win over Paderborn
"I feel slower than before," he told France Football. "I can't develop in this area as much as I could when I was 18 or 19."
The apparent contradiction could be down to improvements the 23-year-old is making in other areas, though. "His levels of fitness are better and he's more mature," said Bayern head coach Niko Kovac recently. "You can see he's constantly developing. I'm delighted that he's so successful and healthy. That's what helps us."
Coman was only the ninth-fastest player last season with a best mark of 21.64 mph, a photo finish behind Hertha Berlin's Lukas Klünter, who was the quickest with 21.99 mph on Matchday 30.
Greater knowledge in the areas of nutrition, conditioning and recovery appear to have lead to marginal gains across the board, as three of the all-time top five fastest speeds have already been recorded in 2019/20.
Mainz's Jeremiah St. Juste is second overall at 22.12 mph, while Union Berlin winger Sheraldo Becker is fifth at 22.01 mph.
The top five is rounded out by Borussia Mönchengladbach's USMNT all-rounder Fabian Johnson (22.05 mph) and former Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (22.02 mph).
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