Kamaldeen Sulemana #22

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Pure pace. During a second-half cameo against Uruguay in the 2022 World Cup, winger Sulemana clocked 22.18mph, the fastest time recorded by any player at the tournament, surpassing the lightning-quick Alphonso Davies and Nico Williams. “I wasn’t even running fast,” he reflected later. “It was when I was running back, you know, we were down 2-0, and then it was like five minutes to go, and there was a counter against us, so I had to cover back." He joined Atalanta from Southampton for £22m and is in his sixth year with the Black Stars, with this his second World Cup and fourth major tournament overall. He used to be known for his athletic backflip goal celebration, having been taught gymnastics as well as football at Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy. But no longer. “My parents told me not to do it any more because it’s dangerous,” he said in October last year. “I did it against Juventus, but it was just an adrenaline rush, spontaneous. I won’t do it again.”

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