Virgil van Dijk helped lead Liverpool to Champions League glory last season. The Dutchman was very solid at the back as the Reds stormed to the final and their run included a famous comeback against Barcelona. After being 3-0 down from the first leg, Jurgen Klopp's side won 4-0 at home, shocking the world to reach July's showpiece event at the Wanda Metropolitano. It was during that first leg against Barca that Van Dijk set a record of his own. During injury time with his team three goals down, the defender made a gut-busting run to try and stop a counter-attack led by Lionel Messi. 

Van Dijk sprinted from the edge of Barca's box back to his own to make sure Messi had one less option to pass to. 

In doing so, the Liverpool defender reached a speed of 34.5 km/h - a record in last season's Champions League.   

Check out a clip of his insane speed below. 

Ahead of this season's competition, a full list of speed statistics from 2018/19 have been released, giving insight into the fastest players on the continent. 

Van Dijk is top - as we already know, but there are a few other surprises on the list. 

Check it out below. 

As you can see, Leroy Sane clocked the second-fastest speed, running just slower than Van Dijk at 34.4 km/h.

Another Premier League defender, Kyle Walker, takes third. He reached speeds of 34.2 km/h, faster than the likes of Gareth Bale and Juan Cuadrado, who are renowned for their pace. 

The interesting names of the list come towards the end. Romelu Lukaku gets an honourable mention for reaching 33.3 km/h against Barca. 

But perhaps the most surprising player on the list is a man Lukaku would have matched up against on the field at Camp Nou - Sergio Busquets.

The Spaniard reached a top speed of 33.3 km/h in a fixture against Liverpool. That's very impressive, considering he's more famed for his passing, not his running.

Perhaps FIFA need to rethink his 43 pace rating for this years game - because judging by the stats, that is ridiculously low.