FIFA 23 speed test, featuring Haaland & Mbappe, proves who is the fastest player | OneFootball

Pace is a vital component of top-level football and it is probably even more important in the virtual world of FIFA 23.

Whether it is strikers looking to get away from the last defender, full-backs moving across to cover, midfielders carrying the ball forward or wingers trying to beat their defender, speed is a massive advantage.

Pace is a very general term. There are some players who are very quick off the mark or on the turn, while there are others who may lack that initial acceleration but once they get into their stride rapidly eat up the ground.

FIFA 23, the latest and final version of the franchise, has accounted for this. There are now three new sprint types for all.

What are the sprint types in FIFA 23?

It is differentiated between explosive, lengthy and controlled. While explosive supports the smaller, more agile players, who are especially quick on the first few metres, lengthy is the exact opposite. Lengthy is the style for bigger and taller pros, who start off slower and reach their full speed at the end of their sprint. Most players have the controlled style, which accelerates more evenly.

TFV Gaming have taken this a step further on their YouTube channel, producing a FIFA 23 pace test, where the top 32 players go up against each other in a knockout competition. The test produced some interesting results.

Who is the fastest player in FIFA 23?

The first thing to note is that a player with a pace rating of 95 will not automatically outstrip a player with 85 in this test. The distance covered is from box to box and the test is completed with the ball.

Therefore dribbling, control and agility all play a part. Likewise, players have to be on their optimum sprinting style to suit the nature of the task as well as their agility, stride length and body type.

When looking at the result, the task seemed to favour those with a controlled sprinting style. Of the eight players to reach the semi-final stage, only Daniel James and Vinicius Junior were explosive, while only Erling Haaland was classed as lengthy. This demonstrates that this distance was too long to favour those who hit top speed quickly, while those with a lengthy stride tend to slow down too much in possession. With the exception of the phenomenal Haaland.

The final was between Kylian Mbappe and Haaland with the PSG star coming out on top, which many fans may have predicted.

Many fans have commented, some enjoying the spectacle, some showing an appreciation of the different factors required and some appearing to be confused as to how the players with the highest pace ratings didn’t automatically win.

Some even complained that some of the results were wrong and that some of the players false-started, but you can't please everyone!

The key thing to remember is that while speed is vital in football, it is not athletics. Turning, changing direction, reaction, anticipation, agility and ball control all determine who wins races on the pitch. And the game has mirrored this.

Slower defenders often appear to outrun quicker attackers, but much of this is down to reading the game, both in real-life and in a virtual situation.

As usual, however, any comparisons of players in FIFA has provoked a great deal of interest and debate.