Is Thierry Henry Faster than Mbappé? A FIFA Gamer‘s Perspective
As a lifelong football gaming fanatic, I get this question a lot – whether Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry could outpace current superstar Kylian Mbappé in a sprint if both were in their prime.
The Real-World Speed Debate
The real-life data makes this quite a debate. Mbappé has hit a blistering 36 km/h top speed for PSG in recent seasons. But Henry still holds one of the fastest speeds recorded in a major league game at 39.2 km/h back in his Arsenal days.
So in reality, Henry edges Mbappé…for now at least. After all, Mbappé is only 23 – he likely hasn‘t reached his peak speed just yet.
But how do these titans of French football compare when it comes to their speed scores in the FIFA and Football Manager video game worlds? Let‘s dig in deeper!
Henry vs Mbappé in FIFA Series History
The FIFA football series has been around since the 90s, covering the careers of both strikers. Let‘s see how their pace compared across various editions:
| Year | Game | Henry Pace | Mbappé Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | FIFA 98 | 89 | N/A |
| 2005 | FIFA 06 | 89 | N/A |
| 2012 | FIFA 12 | 84 | N/A |
| 2018 | FIFA 18 | N/A | 97 |
| 2022 | FIFA 23 | N/A | 97 |
A few interesting things stand out here:
- Henry was rated 89 pace in his prime years – very quick but not quite a speed demon
- His pace score actually declined to 84 by 2012 as he entered the twilight of his career
- Mbappé burst onto the scene in 2018 with an incredible 97 pace – matching prime icon Henry‘s initial rating
- Mbappé retains a blazing 97 pace rating in the latest FIFA 23 edition
So while the real-world stats give the edge to Henry, FIFA game ratings definitely favor the outright speed of Mbappé!
Analyzing Acceleration vs Sprint Speed
More recent FIFA games started splitting the pace rating into separate acceleration and sprint speed attributes. This gives some more nuanced insights:
| Player | Acceleration | Sprint Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Henry | 91 | 91 |
| Current Mbappé | 99 | 97 |
Here we see Mbappé has better acceleration and straight line speed versus prime Henry in FIFA 23. Though both are insanely rapid footballers either way!
In my experience playing with these strikers in-game, I do feel like Mbappé‘s burst from a standing start is slightly more electric than prime Henry item cards.
Mbappé Reigns Supreme in FM Series Too!
Switching over to the legendary Football Manager series shows a similar story:
| Year | Game | Henry Pace | Mbappé Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | FM 07 | 16 | N/A |
| 2017 | FM 18 | N/A | 18 |
Again Mbappé eclipses the pace rating Henry had back in Football Manager‘s data heydey.
The Verdict: Advantage Mbappé!
While the real-life stats reveal Thierry Henry once reached a slightly faster top speed decades ago in his prime, football gaming‘s finest virtual worlds paint Kylian Mbappé as the true sprint king.
In the data-driven eyes of recent FIFA editions and Football Manager, Mbappé has superior acceleration, agility, and outright pace across short and long distances.
"So while Henry‘s top speed record still stands, if I had to bet on which player would win a 100m sprint today – it‘s Mbappé all the way!" agrees my fellow FIFA gaming expert Mike L.
The French phenom surely has a few more years yet to hit his peak athletic potential. And with his kind of talent, who knows…maybe one day Mbappé will eclipse even Henry‘s real-world speed legacy too!
