Guinness World Records has confirmed that Celtic attacker Maria McAneny set a new record back in December when she scored a goal against Hibernian in the Scottish Women's Premier League. She now holds the title of the goalscorer of the fastest goal in the history of women's football.
On December 21, 2025, McAneny struck home within just 4.1 seconds. She noticed the goalkeeper off her line and shot from the halfway line right from kick-off, putting her side 1-0 up in the process.
Now, she has been commemorated for the achievement, and her name will go down in the history of the sport.
McAneny spoke after being named the fastest goalscorer, saying:
"It's not really set in, to be fair. It's a good feeling, and it's definitely not an achievement I ever thought I would ever have. So, definitely take it.
When we just went in after the warm-up, our goalkeeper coach just said for us to do it. Me and Saoirse [Noonan] decided between ourselves who was going to do it, and I said I would do it. I remember just before it, there was a plan B, but I just said to Saoirse, 'I'm going to go for it'. And I'm happy it went in."
In a video posted to the club's social media accounts, the editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records spoke to Celtic TV and gave the player her plaque in front of her teammates. Everyone is delighted for her, and rightly so!
McAneny has been brilliant this season
McAneny has been brilliant this season, and now, she's going to go down in footballing history. At the age of 21, she is already a regular starter for the Hoops and is one of the best players at the club. She continues to impress, and we're sure she'll be breaking even more records soon enough.
To top off a fantastic week for the player, she was also called up alongside teammate Emma Lawton for the latest Scotland senior squad. She will play a part as her national team takes on Belgium twice, and she is becoming a regular feature on the squad list.
Life is just getting better for her, and hopefully, she can push Celtic forward to a potential league title. After a victory against Partick Thistle in the recent game and Glasgow City slipping up, losing 1-0 to Rangers, the Hoops are four points away from the top spot, and everything is still to play for.