Saturday, 28th June, 2014
In-demand Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier was the quickest player in the World Cup group stage, according to official figures released by FIFA.
The Toulouse right-back, who has been linked with a number of clubs this summer, including English Premier League pair Arsenal and Liverpool, was clocked at a top speed of 33.5 kilometres per hour (kph) during the Ivory Coast's group stage campaign.
That makes Aurier, whose Ivory Coast outfit were eliminated at the group stage, the quickest player at the World Cup in Brazil so far.
In second place was another rampaging full-back in the form of Uruguay's Alvaro Pereira, while Italy striker Mario Balotelli came third in the rankings. It remains to be seen if any player will surpass the total already recorded when the World Cup knockout phase gets under way.
Fastest Players in World Cup Group Stage
1: Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast) – 33.5 kph
2: Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay) – 33.1 kph
3: Mario Balotelli (Italy) – 33.0 kph
4: Angel di Maria (Argentina) – 33.0 kph
5: Darijo Srna (Croatia) – 33.0 kph
6: Fabian Johnson (USA) – 33.0 kph
7: Shkodran Mustafi (Germany) – 32.9 kph
8: Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) – 32.5 kph
9: Raphael Varane (France) – 32.3 kph
10: Alejandro Bedoya (USA) – 32.3 kph
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