Professional football players are fit, that’s no secret. However, it is an interesting question how fast football players really are at popular running distances. Then you can better compare football players with, for example, runners. Therefore, in this article we will discuss how fast football players are at a distance of 5 kilometers.
General statements are difficult.
A football match cannot be compared to a running distance at all. In a football game, the players are actually doing some kind of interval training; they do not run at a constant pace, but are often speeding up or slowing down. Therefore, match statistics will not bring us closer to the answer to our question.
The sprints alternated with a slower pace during the match ensure that football players will be the most powerful in this way of running. Football players will perform extremely well on interval training. Yet you would expect that football players can also deliver a good performance at a constant pace due to their good condition.
Many factors affect the time on a 5K.
Before making any generalizations about time on the 5K, I want to emphasize that there are many factors that influence the pace of professional soccer players.
For example, an important factor for football players will be the position in the field. Midfielders usually run a lot at a constant pace compared to the other positions. Therefore, you might expect midfielders to perform well on a 5K relative to other football players. Wingers, on the other hand, walk a lot, but peak at the right time with fast sprints. You could therefore expect these players to perform less well on a 5K.
The amount of muscle mass is also very relevant. Runners who set bizarre times on the 5K are often bone-thin. They benefit from this because they have to carry much less weight that way. Football players generally are not skinny and usually have a lot more muscle. Football players with a lot of muscle mass may have a harder time at a 5K.
Professional football players seem to run a 5K in 15 to 18 minutes.
I have compared as much information as possible on the internet and based on this I have concluded that professional football players are capable of running a 5K in 15 to 18 minutes. Keep in mind that this is a strong generalization, there are definitely players who don’t reach this pace.
In 2020, Chelsea shared a screenshot of player Ross Barkley running 5.2 kilometers in 16 minutes and 11 seconds. Since this was the player with the best time, you can assume that not many professional football players will be able to set a better time. Therefore, an upper limit of 15 minutes seems to be good.
During that period, Harry Maguire also shared his results of a 5K. He ran a 5K in just over 18 minutes. Harry Maguire is a somewhat heavier player (according to the internet about 100 kilos) from whom you would not expect the best performance. If you are heavier, you will simply have a much harder time at a 5K. Therefore, 18 minutes seems to be a good lower limit.
Professional football players are significantly faster compared to the average person.
Elite runners in the 20-35 age range run a 5K in just under 18 minutes on average[1]. Our results show that professional football players are very fast, even compared to experienced runners on a 5K.
Of course it is also understandable. It is literally the job of football players to be fit. This is a requirement to perform well on the field.
Lifestyle coach [5+ years of fitness experience]