Sol Campbell hints he was as fast as Usain Bolt as Arsenal legend demands 'respect'

Sol Campbell bemusingly appeared to suggest he was as fast as Usain Bolt during his Arsenal prime in a bizarre early-morning social media post. Campbell was an excellent centre-back for England, Arsenal and Tottenham, known for his tough tackling and leadership skills.Arsenal agree £95m deals as Man City make Rice bid and Spurs have offer acceptedBut the former defender has now dragged up data from the late 2000s to back up his wild claim that he was as quick as the world’s fastest runner. Campbell took to social media to share an image of a newspaper cutting showing top speeds among Premier League players between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns.The data, produced by Castrol Football Index, shows that Campbell was the second-fastest player in that period, behind Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott. Campbell is shown to have hit a top speed of 22.5 miles-per-hour.His Instagram caption, penned at just past 2 AM, read: “Bolt hit a top speed of 24.04mph. You have to remember I did this speed [shown in the picture] when I was 34 YEARS OLD imagine the pace I could generate at the age of 23 my friends facts and figures #invincible @easportsfifa @uefa_official @fifaworldcup @permierleague @arsenal respect is due!”Sol Campbell appeared to suggest he was as fast as Usain Bolt (Image: Getty)Campbell’s claim about Bolt’s top speed is not correct. Wide-ranging sources claim that the Jamaican sprinter reached 27.8mph during his world-record, 9.58-second 100m final in Berlin in 2009.Data from Campbell’s post shows that Walcott hit a top speed of 22.72mph - quick but still some way off Bolt. Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka, Cesc Fabregas and Ashley Cole complete the list for fastest players at the time.A couple of former Premier League stars poked fun at Campbell’s claim. Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand replied: “Sol, I’m sorry to kill your vibe but Cesc being on this list makes this bit of data null and void.“Cesc’s game was brain, passing and angles, not speed - and Cesc would tell you that. You were quick through bro."We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.