England finished 3rd in the World Cup 2026.
England are out, but the data coming out of their tournament run is giving Djed Spence a reputation that will have cheer up Tottenham fans. Football on TNT Sports have confirmed that Djed Spence recorded the highest top speed of any player at the 2026 World Cup who played 90 minutes or more, a distinction that sits alongside Mark Goldbridge’s viral post calling his recovery tackle on Giuliano Simeone against Argentina the tackle of the tournament.
STATSports put a number on the tackle itself, clocking Spence at 36 km/h on that recovery sprint alone. That figure sits well above where he registered early in the tournament, 35.10 km/h after the opening round of group games, which was second fastest among all players at that stage. By the time England were eliminated in the semifinal, those numbers had only climbed.
Thomas Tuchel had seen Djed Spence’s top speed coming before a ball was kicked
Thomas Tuchel flagged the top speed of Djed Spence even before the tournament began. Speaking to the Guardian when naming his squad, Tuchel described Spence as England’s fastest player outright, ahead of Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford. “He loves defending, he loves one-on-one defending, he’s the fastest player in our squad,” Tuchel said. “That makes him a standout full-back for us.” At the time, the call-up raised eyebrows given the criticism Spence had attracted during the 2025/26 season. Seven appearances later, including three starts and arguably the most-talked-about defensive moment of the entire competition, those eyebrows are firmly back down.
Whether this changes Spurs’ thinking on him this summer remains to be seen. Everton, Juventus and Inter Milan have both been linked with moves. Right now, though, Spence is the fastest full-back at the World Cup.
