All footballers have been left with no choice but to get in a running race with an opposition player who would likely lap you in a long-distance run. But that's just Sunday League football, where the players are usually fueled by a can of Red Bull prior to kick-off.

It's Champions League defenders that we feel sorry for, who have to come up against some of the quickest athletes in the world of sport. Made worse, too, by the fact that the humiliating race - if you can even call it that - is documented for all to see.

Poor Marc Bartra never stood a chance when Gareth Bale left him for dead to score what is now known as one of the greatest Copa del Rey and El Clasico goals.

Something tells us that the former Barcelona defender would want to avoid last season's fastest Champions League players last season, too, with a list now revealed by UEFA (via Reddit).

The order goes from Dominik Szoboszlai (10th), Moussa Diaby (ninth), Karim Adeyemi (eighth), Nuno Tavares (seventh), and Federico Valverde (sixth).

With that said, we've taken a closer look at the top five.

5 Gabriel Veron: 36.4 KM/H

Clocking an impressive speed of 36.3 kilometres per hour, Gabriel Veron makes the top five in the Champions League's fastest players last season.

Porto initially impressed on the European stage in the last campaign, topping Group B above Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen, and Atletico Madrid, before suffering a 1-0 defeat to eventual finalists Inter Milan in the Round of 16.

4 Rafael Leao: 36.5 KM/H

This one comes as little surprise, given the bundles of pace that Rafael Leao possesses. That, combined with his dribbling ability makes him one of the best wingers in the world.

Hitting a speed of 36.5 KM/H last season, the AC Milan man comes in as last season's fourth-fastest player in the Champions League, as his side suffered semi-final heartbreak against rivals Inter.

3 Ousmane Dembele: 36.6 KM/H

Even though he's had consistent injury issues throughout his career, Ousmane Dembele's speed has never left him, and it remains one of his greatest traits, as shown again last season.

As Barcelona were shockingly dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage, losing out to Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, Dembele managed to clock a pace of 36.6 KM/H, making him last season's third-quickest player in the competition.

2 Mykhailo Mudryk: 36.6 KM/H

This one has surprised us, given what we've seen of Mykhailo Mudryk in the Premier League. But, as it turns out, when at his best, Chelsea can expect one of the fastest players among Europe's elite.

Playing in the group stages for Shahktar Donetsk, before joining Chelsea in January and featuring against Real Madrid in the last eight, it's unknown when Mudryk clocked his top speed.

Nonetheless, hitting 36.6 KM/H, the winger was the second-quickest player in the Champions League last season.

1 Alphonso Davies: 37.1 KM/H

If you were to ask us to blindly rank who we believe would top this list, then Alphonso Davies would be the name we'd guess. The Bayern Munich left-back's pace is no secret, with Barcelona experiencing it first-hand back in their humiliating 8-2 defeat against the Bavarians in 2020.

Last season, as the fastest player in the Champions League, Davies hit an incredible speed of 37.1 KM/H.