Martins - the fastest shot ever recorded in a competitive game?

Jimboo_Jones · 19-01-2007 10:14AM

At the city ground they still talk about Johnny Metgod's freekick, Forest v Westham in 1986 ... I'm sure that was the fastest free kick at the time (though I bet the new ball will travell faster)

jester77 · 19-01-2007 10:31AM

GadgetFiend wrote:

roberto carlos may not have had the hardest shot

but he's the only player ive seen knock another player out with the strength of his shot- think it was brazil v venezuela (or some mediocre S american team) in the copa america a few years ago..

Ronald Koeman knocked out a Welsh player standing in the wall from a free kick, can't remember who it was.

A collection of his free kicks

iregk · 19-01-2007 12:01PM

What about Mendieta in his prime? I remember seeing this goal live and though it was the best volley i'd ever seen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAnHIkaFy9Q

redspider · 19-01-2007 03:09PM

There have been some tremendously hard shots down through the years, but I doubt if Martins would be the fastest, since it was executed from the ground and he was running at an angle to the direction of where he kicked the ball, etc. It didnt look to be the fastest when looking at it.

I'm not sure how accurate all those timings and speeds are. If you can get your hands on original footage and if it is at 24 frames per second, you can do your own calculation. You need to work out where the ball is on the pitch, where the ball crosses the line, etc, etc. There are a number of variables and I for one dont trust many of these speed claims nor the accurracy of the measurements.

Also, over the years the ball has changed significantly. Does it fly faster? It is plastic now, and not leather, and I think most tests and kicks of the ball would confirm that it does fly faster for the same amount of force/effort by the kicker/foot. It certainly does a big right to left or left to right movement in the air, a so-called bend and goalkeepers of the modern age will testify to that.

Redspider

iregk · 19-01-2007 04:40PM

Well spider you are correct in so far as the ball has made a big difference. In the past when balls were real leather and had deep groves in between the patchs. The leather was heavier and used to absorb more of the force than now. Also the deep groves caught a lot more air and slowed the ball in mid flight.

Now they are synthetic, almost completely smooth and designed out of a material that will return more of the initial energy into the flight of the ball. They catch less air which allows them to maintain their speed over greater distance and move a lot more.

1998 was the first time balls really changed with the adidas gas capsule layer under the synthetic leather patch. Since they its gotten, lighter, faster and moves a lot more. Speeds will go up and swerves will get worse.

kinaldo · 14-02-2007 01:39PM

according to the Guardian

James Dart and Paolo Bandini
Wednesday February 14, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

"There was a great hullabaloo over Obafemi Martins' goal against Spurs last month, timed at 84mph, with Telegraph journalist Henry Winter speculating that it could take the crown," writes Archi Campbell. "However, I remember a goal by David Trezeguet for Monaco against Man Utd in the Champions League quarter-finals of 1998 that was timed at 96mph. This would also be faster than Nicky Summerbee's 87mph shot on Record Breakers, which is often given as the fastest shot ever. Was Trezeguet's shot really that fast, and if so, why does everyone seem to ignore it?"

"There's no official record," explained the Football Association's historian David Barber when quizzed, but we knew our readers weren't going to be palmed off so easily. Therefore, armed with a toothcomb, our archives and a handy list of humdingers measured on the Sky Sports Replay 2000 tracking machine, we can provide you with the most authentic - if unofficial - list of heavy hitters at our disposal.

First off, three things: Martins' goal is only the ninth hardest shot recorded; Summerbee's effort was obviously not in a competitive match so we'll ignore it; and Trezeguet's thunderbolt at Old Trafford can only have been ignored because it was in European competition - but it was recorded at 96mph, putting him third on our list.

Pipping Trezeguet, however, is David Beckham (the only player to appear twice in our top 10), who smashed home a 97.9mph effort of his own against Chelsea on February 22 1997. That might top our list of powerful goals, but there is one harder shot - recorded by Sky's fancy device - that puts it well and truly in the shade. Step forward ... Sheffield Wednesday's David Hirst, who drilled a 14.8-yard howitzer against the crossbar at a whopping 114mph during a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on September 16 1996. Therefore, our top 10, as it stands, is ...

1) David Hirst - 114mph (for Sheffield Wednesday @ Arsenal on September 16 1997)
2) David Beckham - 97.9mph (for Man Utd v Chelsea on February 22 1997)
3) David Trezeguet - 96mph (for Monaco @ Man Utd on March 19 1998)
4) Richie Humphreys - 95.9mph (for Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa on August 17 1996)
5) Matt Le Tissier - 86.8mph (for Southampton v Newcastle on January 18 1997)
6) Alan Shearer - 85.8mph (for Newcastle v Leicester on February 2 1997)
7) Roberto Carlos - 85.2mph (for Brazil v France on June 3 1997)
8) Tugay - 84.2mph (for Blackburn @ Southampton on November 3 2001)
9) Obafemi Martins - 84mph (for Newcastle @ Tottenham on January 14 2007)
10) David Beckham - 80.5mph (for Man Utd @ Derby on September 4 1996)

http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,2012031,00.html

Hardest shot in the last 6 years from Martins.

acquiescefc · 14-02-2007 02:14PM

Can i just re-iterate.

David Hirst...

A Legend.

the proof.

smackbunnybaby · 14-02-2007 03:44PM

smackbunnybaby wrote:

i thought it was david hirst.

looks like smackbunnybaby was right after all

edit: add link

just a quick reminder - Hirst best striker in Britain in the last 20 years
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8830790240424316936

gosplan · 14-02-2007 05:58PM

kinaldo wrote:

according to the Guardian

Hardest shot in the last 6 years from Martins.

I protest!!!

Stephen Reids screamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go2lk-84mQ8

redspider · 14-02-2007 07:34PM

I dont think this is a definitive study and I have a number of doubts.

For one, I dont trust that Sky measuring device. At short distances, a part of a metre mis-calculated would throw the values derived badly askew.

Secondly, some of these shots were taken from the ground. I find it very very hard to believe that the top-10 would not all be volley's, if not the top-100 goals. We just have to look at how goalies kick the ball out for visible evidence of that and anyone who has played the game knows this as well. Beckham's 2nd one is off the ground, as was Martins, notwithstanding that football flight times have increased in recent years will the ball changes (see above), so to me that clearly indicates this is not a full example, nor a full study.

Thirdly, the difference between the 1st and 2nd is about 15%. You dont see this in any other sport and I wouldn't subscribe to any theory if proferred that forwards are holding back their efforts and controlling them. Many are likely to blast shots as hard as they can and hence differences at the top end should be slight. A proper list would have values that are much closer together, notwithstanding a Beamon-like event.

Time to drop the journo's and bring in the academics I'm afraid .....

Redspider

acquiescefc · 20-02-2007 10:55PM

Hirstys was a half volley. It rebounded off the crossbar to the half way line.
With the heavier balls..what would the academics say about that.

I think its undisputable.

David Hirst was the greatest.

Makes me sad after a night like tonight. A rubbish Luton side and we cant beat em.

smackbunnybaby · 26-02-2008 01:09PM

acquiescefc wrote: »

Hirstys was a half volley

and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9tV9evOCIs

chopperbyrne · 26-02-2008 02:00PM

smackbunnybaby wrote: »

and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9tV9evOCIs

What made you look up a year old thread?

Melion · 26-02-2008 02:06PM

What an odd time to bring back an old thread.

And id love to know where all the rubbish came from about it landing on the halfway line after hitting the bar, it wouldnt have made it out of the box if it wasnt headed out.

smackbunnybaby · 26-02-2008 02:12PM

chopperbyrne wrote: »

What made you look up a year old thread?

it wasnt up loaded to youtube til this week. i remember it had been talked about before and since there was a thread for it.....

justfortherecor · 26-02-2008 03:16PM

Cheers for posting it!

Running Bing · 26-02-2008 04:07PM

smackbunnybaby wrote: »

and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9tV9evOCIs

Cheers for that mate, Ive been lying awake for the past year thinking about that, unable to locate the clip anywhere.

I now feel I have entered a new chapter in my life and can finally move on.

26-02-2008 05:00PM

Remember Steven Reids goal vs Portsmouth i think. Was that not a fast one ? ?

herbieflowers · 26-02-2008 05:30PM

Babybing wrote: »

Cheers for that mate, Ive been lying awake for the past year thinking about that, unable to locate the clip anywhere.

I now feel I have entered a new chapter in my life and can finally move on.

haha

Mr.Nice Guy · 26-02-2008 05:45PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Remember Steven Reids goal vs Portsmouth i think. Was that not a fast one ? ?

I think it's this one against Wigan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Ij-FM3Fsg

Good job it hit the net and not the crowd.

eirebhoy · 26-02-2008 07:22PM

So where did that figure for Reid's shot come from? If that's true than it beats all the others mentioned in this thread.

smackbunnybaby · 26-02-2008 07:25PM

Babybing wrote: »

Cheers for that mate, Ive been lying awake for the past year thinking about that, unable to locate the clip anywhere.

I now feel I have entered a new chapter in my life and can finally move on.

true wednesday fan so.welcome aboard

joe123 · 27-02-2008 04:27PM

iregk wrote: »

What about Mendieta in his prime? I remember seeing this goal live and though it was the best volley i'd ever seen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAnHIkaFy9Q

wow that was special. Mendietas downfall was always sort of strange. Once he left Valencia he just went ****. Is he still at middlesboro?

Martins - the fastest shot ever recorded in a competitive game?

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