Top 10 Shortest Football Players of All Time

There is consensus that tall players have an advantage over other players in football, and the shortest football players are not as good. However, it has been proven on various occasions that size does not matter in football. Matter of fact, some of the shortest players in football, namely Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, amongst others, have used their short stature and low centre of gravity to get past defenders with ease.

However, Messi’s example is an elite reference since he is arguably the best player in the world. While being tall or short has its advantages in every sport, it is never a guarantee of genius. Today, we will be taking a look at the shortest football players in the history of the sport who have not let their height come in between their goal.

Ranking Factors

To effectively analyze the impact of height on the careers of these athletes, it is essential to establish clear criteria for evaluation. The following three key factors will be considered when examining each player’s journey:

Agility and Balance: This factor assesses a player’s ability to use their low center of gravity to attain balance and utilize quick changes of direction. This is more prominent in tight spaces, dribbling situations, and sudden accelerations that allow players to evade challenges and maintain control despite pressure from opponents.

Acceleration and Dribbling Precision: Shorter players usually have rapid acceleration and tight ball control. This factor defines how a player’s stature contributes to elite dribbling, first-touch control, and the ability to beat opponents, which is essential for wingers and attacking midfielders.

Technical Mastery and Vision: This factor shows how shorter players compensate for their physical limitations through technical skills and their vision. This includes passing accuracy, playmaking ability, which are traits often found in playmakers who rely less on physicality and more on intelligence. A few examples of such midfielders are Pedri, David Silva, Marco Verrati, and many more.

Note: Some players featured on our list have the same height but different rankings. This is done after analyzing the different impacts they have had for their respective clubs and in which leagues they play or have played. A player having more impact for clubs in a lower-ranked league will rank lower than a player who has a bit less impact for clubs in a higher-ranked league, but only in case they have the same height.

Top 10 World’s Shortest Football Players

10) Bernard – 164 CM

Brazilian attacking midfielder Bernard has played at numerous clubs, but his career started gaining recognition when he won three Ukrainian Super League titles with Shakhtar Donetsk. After this Everton signed him and he amassed 84 appearances for the Toffees from 2018 to 2021. Bernard’s best moment at Everton was scoring the winning goal in an enthralling 5-4 win against Tottenham Hotspurs in a FA Cup fixture at Goodison Park.

Everton were leading the game 3-1 up until halftime, after which Spurs came back into the game, making the score 4-4 with just seven minutes to go. The game went into extra time, and it was looking like it would likely go to penalties up until Bernard fired in the winning goal which put Everton through to the quarter-finals. Bernard is an example that even with his short height of 164cm, he still had goals and skills in him.

9) Ryan Fraser – 163 CM

Scottish midfielder and winger Ryan Fraser has made the best of his lower stature, making him very difficult to mark. Fraser is a winger who is able to change directions in an instant due to his low centre of gravity and he has made a name for himself in English football playing for the likes of Newcastle United, Ipswich, AFC Bournemouth and currently Southampton. Overall he has amassed 365 appearances in his career scoring 45 goals and having 52 assists to his name.

Ryan Fraser’s highlight of his career was at AFC Bournemouth, where he amassed 208 appearances across all competitions, scoring 24 goals and having 31 assists.

8)Tariq Lamptey – 163 CM

Lamptey was one of the most hyped talents back during his Chelsea days, since he even made it through the youth ranks for them, but eventually only got three appearances for the main team. However, Lamptey’s move to Brighton changed everything, and he is one of the few relatively short defenders out there currently in Europe’s top five leagues. The right-back has amassed 103 appearances at Brighton and is a first team player.

His performances have led to many clubs monitoring him since he is 24 years old and can be a valuable asset. On the international stage, Lamptey has opted to represent Ghana instead of England despite playing for their U-19 side. Tariq Lamptey’s best attribute is his endurance and blitzing speed since he has recorded top speeds as fast as Mohamed Salah and Adama Traore who are some of the fastest players in the world.

7) Alan Wright – 163 CM

Another defender on this list who made a name for himself despite his short stature is Alan Wright. The former Villa man played at several clubs throughout his career, namely Cheltenham, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United, Fleetwood, Nottingham Forest, and a few others. However, he is well known for having the best part of his career at Aston Villa despite winning the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.

The left-back amassed 327 appearances for Aston Villa across all competitions and was a first-team player. The highlight of his career at Aston Villa was beating Leeds United in the League Cup final in 1996.

6) Lorenzo Insigne – 163 CM

Insigne was one of the best wingers the Serie A has seen in our era, and his impressive tenure at Napoli speaks for itself. Insigne is a short winger who fits in through tight spaces easily and has no problem against strong defenders of bigger stature players since his technical ability and pace help him get past them well.

Lorenzo Insigne has amassed 434 appearances for Napoli across all competitions, scoring 122 goals and having 96 assists. His best season for Napoli was in the 2020-2021 season when he scored 19 goals in 33 Serie A appearances. Despite having a great career at Napoli, Insigne’s peak was in the delayed Euro 2020, which was held in 2021. He scored a decisive and crucial goal against Belgium in the quarter-finals and was a part of the team that played against England in the finals as well, eventually winning the Euro 2020 on penalties.

Currently, he is plying his trade for Toronto FC, where he is one of the highest-paid players in the MLS.

5) Jose Dominguez – 160 CM

The Portuguese international had the potential to make it higher in this list and could have possibly been one of the brightest football players in the game, but his inconsistency held him back. Moreover, his inconsistency even led to limited appearances at times but his playing style often created joy amongst the fans. Jose Dominguez was a part of the Tottenham Hotspurs side which won a trophy namely the League Cup back in 1999 against Leicester City.

Dominguez was a very versatile player who has played as a left-winger, right-winger, striker, supporting striker, attacking midfielder, and even as a left and right midfielder in his career. He has amassed 184 appearances in his club career, scoring 13 goals and having 15 assists to his name, out of which the most memorable tenure was at Tottenham Hotspur, FC K’lautern and Sporting CP.

4) Maxi Moralez – 160 CM

Maxi Moralez spent most of his career playing in Argentina, but it was his much-deserved move to Atalanta BC in Serie A that led to him joining the list of the shortest football players. Moralez is an attacking midfielder who came to Atalanta BC without any prior experience in any of the top five leagues or any league remotely close to it, but still provided instant impact. He amassed 148 appearances for Atalanta BC across all competitions, scoring 20 goals and assisting 27 times.

Currently he is playing for New York City in the MLS, where he as scored 38 goals and has 68 assists in 235 appearances. Overall he has amassed 641 appearances in his club career scoring 107 goals and having 139 assists.

3) Madson – 160 CM

The Brazilian attacking midfielder is a name which is well known at Santos FC and is not to be confused with the full-back Madson, who also played at Santos. This is Madson Formagini Caridade, who amassed 106 appearances for Santos, scoring 19 goals and having 16 assists to his name. Madson has played alongside Brazil’s all-time top-scorer and legend Neymar Jr as well at Santos.

The highlight of Madson’s career was scoring alongside Neymar in an emphatic 3-1 win against Palmeiras in the 2009 Campeonato Paulista semifinal. Overall, Madson has amassed 346 appearances in his club career scoring 71 goals and having 29 assists to his name with the most coming from tenures at Santos, A-Khor SC and Vasco da Gama.

2) Daniel Villalva – 159 CM

Villalva is the youngest ever player to play for River Plate, a record which he broke in 2009 when he was just 16 years old. Daniel Villalva has spent the majority of his career in Argentina, and his experience has made him a versatile player, often playing as a left or right winger and even as an attacking midfielder. Villalva spent five years at River Plate and was a part of their side that got relegated to the second division of Argentine football for the first time in 110 years.

Overall, he has amassed 386 appearances in his club career, scoring 24 goals and having 55 assists with which the most memorable tenure being at River Plate and Tiburones Rojos.

1)Rui Barros – 158 CM

Barros holds the number one spot in the list of the brightest and shortest football players in the world. Rui Barros is a legend in Portugal, having won the 1988 Portuguese Player Of The Year. The attacking midfielder had no problems due to his short stature and easily slipped through tight spaces, and was key in dictating the tempo of the game and creating goal-scoring situations.

Rui Barros’ performances in Porto where he amassed 145 appearances scoring 20 goals and having 13 assists earned him a move to Italian giants Juventus. At Juventus, he amassed 95 appearances across all competitions scoring 19 goals and having six assists. This includes some memorable goals and performances out of which the best was scoring a crucial goal in Juventus’ semi-final win over Cologne in the Coppa Italia. Rui Barros started and was a crucial player in the final victory against AC Milan as well.

Rui Barros is not only the shortest football player on this list but might just be the most decorated player as well, winning one UEFA SuperCup, one UEFA Cup, one French Cup, one Italian Cup, six Liga Portugal titles, three Portuguese Cups, and seven Portuguese Super Cup titles. Overall, Rui amassed 365 appearances in his club career, scoring 64 goals and having 34 assists, having played at renowned clubs such as FC Porto, Monaco, Juventus, and Marseille.

Top 10 Shortest Football Players in the World