The beauty of soccer is its universality.
This sport is “the only religion without atheists,” in the words of legendary Uruguayan scribe Eduardo Galeano. Everyone can believe wholeheartedly because they’ve seen someone who looks just like them succeed. The ultimate meritocracy has been conquered by players of every race, class and physical stature.
The view that bigger is better falls down upon even the lightest scrutiny of the game’s greatest players. In fact, some studies have shown that you can be too tall for your own good, with those who tower over referees more likely to get penalized as a consequence of the ‘Napoleon complex.’
In truth, those at either end of the extreme naturally aren’t the most eye-catching, but the spread of sporting talent between the peak and trough of human height is astounding.
5'1"
Elton
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- Career : 1905–1927
- Position : Winger
- National team : England
- Notable clubs : Northampton Town, Tottenham Hotspur
- Notable honors : x1 FA Cup
The early 20th century was a different time. Planes were a new thing, ‘Fanny’ was a common name, and people were demonstrably shorter. However, the average height at the time Frederick ‘Fanny’ Walden made his debut for England in 1914 was still 5'5".
The story goes that Walden’s first day as a senior professional for Northampton Town was delayed after an unwitting gateman directed the slight figure in front of him to the boys’ entrance. Despite his diminutive frame, the jet-heeled right winger emerged as a key figure for Tottenham Hotspur on either side of the First World War, racking up more than 200 league appearances for a side which would lift the FA Cup in 1921.
- Honorable mentions : Jackie Crawford
5'3"
Sebastian Giovinco
- Career : 2006–2022
- Position : Striker
- National team : Italy
- Notable clubs : Juventus, Toronto FC
- Notable honors : x2 Serie A, x1 MLS Cup
Spells with Empoli and Parma had proven Sebastian Giovinco, the man blessed with arguably the best nickname in soccer history, to be a Serie A forward of considerable talent. Antonio Conte briefly had faith in the Atomic Ant, yet the insatiable Italian’s quest for excellence would drive him to recruit Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente and drive Giovinco onto the bench.
When Toronto FC came calling in 2015, he simply couldn’t refuse. “My proposal had arrived, and there was a lot of money,” the Italy international (at a time when the country actually qualified for World Cups) bluntly recalled. “The train passes only once.”
Giovinco had a first class ticket bought for him and rewarded that faith with some of the most prolific seasons MLS has ever seen; he ended his career with an average of one goal or assist every 89 minutes in the competition.
5'4"
Omar Sivori
- Career : 1954–1969
- Position : Winger
- National team : Argentina, Italy
- Notable clubs : River Plate, Juventus, Napoli
- Notable honors : x1 South American Championship, x3 Serie A, x3 Argentine Primera División
The former Juventus president Gianni Agnelli wonderfully captured the devilish pleasure that the club’s combustible Argentine inspired: “Sivori is a bad habit.”
Squat, short and laughably left footed, Omar Sivori was no athlete. Especially not compared to the regal figure of John Charles, his statesman like 6'2" Welsh strike partner in Turin. That was alright. He was instead a brilliant soccer player.
The 1961 Ballon d’Or winner bewitched defenders and spectators alike with an intoxicating weaving of his hips which was described at the time as “drunken dribbling.” Cursed with a temper which set all the wrong disciplinary records, the enduring charm of Sivori’s play—and his stack of titles at Juve—saw all that overshadowed.
- Honorable mentions : Jimmy Johnstone
5'5"
Diego Maradona
- Career : 1976–1997
- Position : Attacking Midfielder
- National team : Argentina
- Notable clubs : Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli
- Notable honors : x1 World Cup, x2 Serie A
Diego Maradona’s modest stature is a fundamental part of his myth.
The former editor of Argentina’s seminal soccer magazine El Gráfico once set out his vision for the definitive embodiment of the soul of the national sport: “A pibe [urchin child] with a dirty face, a mane of hair rebelling against the comb; with intelligent, roving, trickster and persuasive eyes and a sparkling gaze that seem to hint at a picaresque laugh that does not quite manage to form on his mouth, full of small teeth that might be worn down through eating yesterday’s bread.
“His trousers are a few roughly sewn patches; his vest with Argentinian stripes, with a very low neck and with many holes eaten out by the invisible mice of use ... His knees covered with the scabs of wounds disinfected by fate; barefoot or with shoes whose holes in the toes suggest they have been made through too much shooting. His stance must be characteristic; it must seem as if he is dribbling with a rag ball.”
That was penned in 1928. Thirty-two years before Maradona was born, 49 years before he first appeared for Argentina. Yet, it serves as an unerring description of the beloved 1986 World Cup winner.
There is simply no chance that Maradona would be so deeply cherished had he been of standard proportions. For starters, he wouldn’t have needed to use his hand to beat Peter Shilton to that ball. Many players would consider Maradona’s dimensions to be a deterrent to greatness. For El Diego, it was a form of destiny.
5'6"
Romario
- Career : 1985–2009
- Position : Striker
- National team : Brazil
- Notable clubs : Vasco da Gama, PSV, Barcelona
- Notable honors : x1 World Cup, x2 Copa América, x1 La Liga, x3 Eredivisie
Given his generous interpretation of what should count towards his official goal tally, some may question how reliable Romário’s self-reported account of his height really is.
Whatever measuring tape trickery the Brazil international could conjure up, it would have been nothing compared to his ingenuity at the sharp end of the pitch. Roberto Baggio was not alone in hailing the former Barcelona star of the 1990s as “a master of art in the penalty area.”
5'7"
Lionel Messi
The music ends. Immortality doesn’t. pic.twitter.com/dgUQLOkymB
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) July 20, 2026
- Career : 2004–
- Position : Winger/Attacking Midfielder
- National team : Argentina
- Notable clubs : Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami
- Notable honors : x1 World Cup, x2 Copa América, x4 Champions League, x10 La Liga, x2 Ligue 1, x1 MLS Cup
When Lionel Messi joined his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys at six years old, he was four foot and the ball came up to his knee. By the time he turned 10, he had only grown two inches, prompting fears of a vertically-challenged future.
A consultation with Dr. Diego Schwarzstein found that a growth hormone deficiency would likely leave Messi as a five-foot-tall fully grown adult. Injection treatment into both legs was prescribed and the spindly tree sap shot up to 4'10" by the time he turned 12. But this came at a cost.
In monetary terms, that expense would stand at about $1,000 per month. In terms of commitment, Newell’s Old Boys’ refusal to cover these costs forced the Messis to seek a new club for their kid. A tape showing little Leo scoring, dribbling and juggling various household objects eventually caught the eye of Barcelona, who funded the treatment and got themselves perhaps the greatest player of all time in the process.
- Honorable mentions : Garrincha, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández
5'8"
Pele
- Career : 1956–1977
- Position : Striker
- National team : Brazil
- Notable clubs : Santos, New York Cosmos
- Notable honors : x3 World Cup, x2 Copa Libertadores, x6 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
It can be easy for the modern viewer to snidely consign Pelé’s achievements to the context of a bygone era. Even Cristiano Ronaldo has scoffed that when he scores one thousand goals, they will all be “on video.” Yet, the very fact that there are so many layers of legend about one 5'8" Brazilian striker from the 1960s which still persist to this day is a triumph in itself for Pelé. Myths aren’t made up for just anyone.
While the available footage of the World Cup’s only three-time champion is nowhere near as extensive as Ronaldo’s collection of stepovers, there is enough to show the teenage phenom turned talismanic leader perform every piece of skill which his legendary successors had supposedly invented.
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