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If you do not take into account the position of the goalkeeper, then high growth for a football player is not at all important, although it is still more difficult for “small” players to fight for the ball. Another plus of growth is running speed and maneuverability, which especially helps flank players.
We decided to make a selection of undersized footballers starting from 170 cm and below, but to consider only those who have achieved some kind of success in their field.
You can find short guys somewhere in Saudi Arabia or China, but their names are unlikely to be familiar to you, and many football fans know our heroes.
10 Lionel Messi
Perhaps the greatest football player in history has been frail since childhood: as early as 11 years old, he was diagnosed with abnormalities in the development of the pituitary gland, because of which he grew more slowly than his peers. His family did not have money for treatment, but the boy’s talent was noticed by Barcelona scouts, after which the club paid all expenses.
Lionel managed to grow up to just 170 centimeters, which is still not enough for an attacking player. However, this did not prevent him from breaking almost all possible records in LaLiga, the club and the Argentine national team, as well as forever writing his name in history.
9. Alexis Sanchez
This player’s height 169 centimeters, which would not be so conspicuous if he did not play in the English Premier League, which is considered the most aggressive.
Due to the abundance of struggle on the field, undersized players basically do not take root there, so the case with Sanchez is a rarity. In the Italian Serie A, which is also famous for its tall and physically strong defenders, Napoli winger Dries Mertens is doing quite well, although the Belgian is also only 169 cm tall.
8. Ngolo Kante
This Frenchman of Malian origin is tall 168 см, which is incredibly small for his position as a defensive midfielder, especially in the Premier League. Due to his height, he was not taken to the children’s academy (he was refused in several), so he trained with amateurs until he came of age.
A true football phenomenon, he showed up during Leicester’s league season and is now working wonders in the Chelsea jersey and the French team that he helped win World Cup titles last year.
Of the stars of the past with a similar height, one cannot but recall Roberto Carlos, whose left leg terrified all the defenders of the world. His incredible speed and even more incredible cannon strike will forever remain in the hearts of football fans.
7. Mathieu Valbuena
The French midfielder, whose best years of his career were playing for the Marseille Olympique, has grown to just 167 см. In France, where there is not much physical struggle, he managed to perform well, and many believed that he would not have succeeded in another league.
Nevertheless, subsequent appearances for Dynamo Moscow and Fenerbahce Istanbul (where he still plays now) proved that a talented footballer can play well anywhere and with any height. For his national team, he played over 50 matches, although he was not called up to either the youth or children’s teams, immediately getting into the adult.
6. Marcelo Diaz
Although the Chilean midfielder did not become a world star, he nevertheless proved himself worthy while playing for the Swiss Basel, the German Hamburg and the Spanish Celta.
He achieved the greatest success in the national team, in which he was the main one in two victorious Confederations Cups for Chile, where his team left out of work star Argentina with Messi at the head. Remember the tears of the Argentinean after the defeat in that final? Marcelo Diaz is one of the reasons. Marcelo’s height 166 см.
5. Marco Verratti
The growth of this Italian is only 165 см, but despite this, he does not get lost on the field, playing in the very center. Thanks to his high football intelligence, he deserved to be compared with Andrea Pirlo, who, by the way, is the idol of Verratti.
The PSG midfielder has been interested in giants from other top leagues for many years, but Marco has not yet decided on the transition. Given that he is only 26 years old, there is every chance of seeing him in another team’s jersey. The greatest player with a height of 165 cm was the Argentinean Diego Armando Maradona.
4. Sebastian Giovinco
Italian with growth 164 см he spent the best years of his career in the middle peasants – Parma, but he failed to gain a foothold in the top Juventus. For his small stature and high speed, the fans called him the atomic ant, which amused the player himself, but did not offend him at all.
In 2015, after an unsuccessful season with the Zebras, he moved to the American Toronto, becoming one of the highest paid players in the league with a salary of $ 10 million per season. Having successfully played there for 3 years, he went to finish playing Saudi Arabia, signing a contract with Al-Hilal.
3. Lorenzo Insigne
One of the best players in the Italian Napoli (albeit not so bright in recent seasons) has a height 163 centimeter, which does not prevent him from passing huge defenders.
Pre-match photos look especially funny when teams take to the field accompanied by children. Next to other football players, children look as expected, but Lorenzo is constantly unlucky: the kids often turn out to be the same height as him, and sometimes even taller.
2. Maxi Morales
Argentine with height 160 cm (according to some reports, even 159) began his professional career in his homeland, at the Racing club, from where he moved to FC Moscow a couple of years later.
After wandering a little more, he finally ended up in the Italian Atalanta, for which he played almost 150 matches and scored two dozen goals, which is not so little for a midfielder. Now he defends the colors of New York City, demonstrating quite a decent level.
1. Rui Barrosh
Portuguese with growth 159 см during his career he managed to play for Porto, Monaco, Marseille and Juventus, winning a total of 18 team trophies. While playing for Porto, he was even recognized as the Footballer of the Year in Portugal in 1988.
Now his name is already forgotten, but in the 80-90s he was quite popular, not least due to his growth. The fans adored him, sincerely perplexed and admiring his ability to control the ball, covering him even from opponents who are 20-30 centimeters taller than him.