Former Super Eagles striker Obafemi Martins has boldly claimed that he was faster than some of football’s greatest speedsters, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, and Kylian Mbappe, during his playing days.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN at the CAF Awards in Morocco on Monday, the 40-year-old former Inter Milan star asserted his superiority in pace over several legendary players.
When asked to compare his speed with Arsenal legend Henry, Martins confidently responded, “I’m faster than him.” He went further to claim he was “way faster” than Ronaldo, Mbappe, Kyle Walker, Arjen Robben, and Gareth Bale.
Martins didn’t stop there. He insisted he outran stars like Mohamed Salah, Ronaldo Nazário (Ronaldo Delima), Leroy Sane, Adama Traore, and Theo Walcott during his career. For each player mentioned, he declared, “I’m faster than him.”
The former Newcastle United striker cheekily added that his ball control was superior to that of Robben and that Brazilian legend Ronaldo was well aware of his speed advantage.
“There’s no player on this list faster than me,” Martins confidently stated. “Go back to Inter Milan and ask about me. There’s no way.”
Known for his blistering pace throughout his illustrious career, Martins scored 201 goals while playing for top clubs such as Inter Milan, Newcastle United, Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, Birmingham City, Levante, Seattle Sounders, and Shanghai Shenhua. He also netted 18 goals for the Nigerian national team, earning a reputation as one of the fastest players in football history.