Ronald Araujo breaks Premier League speed record as Liverpool fans embrace defender

Ronald Araujo has set a new speed record in the Premier League this season after reaching 36.3km/h for Liverpool – matching the top mark recorded in La Liga during the 2026-27 campaign by players including Kylian Mbappe.

The Uruguay defender, who is on loan from Barcelona, was named player of the match in Liverpool’s game against Brighton and has quickly become an important figure under manager Andoni Iraola.

According to Sport, citing the Winna platform, Araujo’s sprint made him the fastest player in the Premier League this season. His top speed is the same as that recorded by the quickest players in La Liga in 2026-27, a group that also includes Andre Ratiu, Kiki Femenia, Facundo Buonanotte and Alejandro Catena.

Araujo’s display against Brighton further strengthened his standing with the Anfield crowd. He received a particularly loud ovation for a determined piece of defending in which he threw himself to the ground and used his head in an attempt to stop a dangerous attack.

The moment was widely shared on social media, underlining the enthusiasm surrounding the defender after only a short period at the club.

Araujo also won every one of the five individual duels he contested at Anfield, giving him a 100% success rate. Only Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk made more defensive contributions, with Araujo recording 11.

Iraola praised the defender’s commitment after the match and said the team enjoyed watching him compete.

“He gives the team a lot. I think we all enjoy watching Ronald fight on the pitch,” said Iraola.

“He is very good in individual duels. Even for the first goal, I think he won two duels in a row and reached the byline. His pass was not an assist, but it could have been.”

The player-of-the-match award against Brighton added another achievement to Araujo’s first season with Liverpool. He has become the first player in the team to win the prize more than once during the current campaign.