Serie A has long been renowned for its emphasis on strategy rather than athleticism.

But even with such a reputation, Italy isn’t short on players with blistering pace.

That notion applies to every position across the pitch, too.

In contrast to the stereotypically complex tactics passed on by managers in the Italian top-flight, speed is an asset that can’t be taught.

So, here, GiveMeSport pays tribute to the most rapid footballers in Serie A with our fastest XI of current players.

GK | Pepe Reina

No data is available to make an informed decision on who should go between the sticks, so we’ll give the nod to the fastest Serie A goalkeeper in FIFA 19 - Pepe Reina with 50 acceleration and 63 sprint speed.

RB | Joao Cancelo

Few would dare knock the ball past Cancelo and expect to reach it before him, such is his recovery speed that’s earned him a pace rating of 91 on FIFA 19.

CB | Kostas Manolas

Manolas recorded the fifth-fastest sprint in the Champions League last season at 33.1 km/h, and it goes a long way to justifying the Roma man as a fan favourite in recent editions of FIFA.

CB | Kalidou Koulibaly

Koulibaly has even the strongest of strikers covered thanks to his powerful 6’2” frame, but - as evidenced by his FIFA 19 ratings of 70 acceleration and 75 sprint speed - he can hold his own in a footrace, too.

LB | Jordan Lukaku

Capping off a back four almost all clubs would envy, Lukaku might well be quicker than his brother, Romelu, with sprint speed and acceleration ratings of 93 and 89 respectively on FIFA 19.

RM | Keita Balde

Balde in the third-fastest player in Serie A per FIFA 19, possessing a scorching yet wholly deserved pace rating of 92.

CM | Antonino Barilla

Rapid players are hard to come by in the heart of midfield, yet Barilla has 78 acceleration and 89 sprint speed on FIFA 19.

CM | Mateo Scozzarella

According to FIFA 19, Scozzarella is the fastest natural centre-midfielder across the big five European leagues, with a pace rating of 87.

LM | Douglas Costa

As if Costa’s skill didn’t make him difficult enough to mark, he also boasts astonishing pace over any distance, as portrayed through his FIFA 19 ratings of 97 acceleration and 93 sprint speed.

ST | Cristiano Ronaldo

Despite his age, Ronaldo is showing no sign of slowing down in any respect after registering the joint-fastest top speed at the 2018 World Cup alongside Ante Rebic - 34 km/h.

ST | Dimitri Oberlin

Oberlin certainly earned his 89 acceleration and 94 sprint speed ratings in FIFA 19 when he raced from one end of the pitch to the other and scored in the Champions League last season.

Well, it’s safe to this team would be an absolute nightmare to come up against.

But even with some of the most rapid footballers around playing in the Serie A, this line-up is the ‘slowest’ of our five fastest across Europe’s big leagues.