In the earlier days of football, the players who dominated on the pitch were tall and had a strong build. We covered the latter in our previous tallest players overview. However, in modern football, short players are oftentimes superior on the field since many of them have better skills in terms of technique than taller footballers.
In addition, many superb short players successfully used the lower center of gravity and their agility to surpass defenders. The legendary Argentinian players Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona are the best examples.
In this segment, I’ll provide you with a list of the top 10 shortest football players in history. The main criteria for this countdown is that the players had to at least play as professionals sometime in their careers.
Keep reading to find out who the shortest football players ever are.
#10 – Rui Gil Soares de Barros (5’3” / 160 cm)
The tallest footballer on this list is the 5’ 3” soccer powerhouse—Rui Gil Soares de Barros. This Portuguese player, who’s currently a manager, was a formidable attacking midfielder. Barros was a hard-working and technically well-equipped soccer player known for his fast change of pace and superb agility.
He played for legendary football clubs like Monaco, Marseille, Juventus, and Porto during the late 80s and 90s. He didn’t let his short stature get in the way of being a successful footballer, and the numbers speak for themselves. Statistically speaking, his best playing days were at Monaco, where he scored 21 goals and had 13 assists in 3 years at that club. His biggest accolade is winning the UEFA Cup with Juventus back in 1990.
Barros also played for Portugal’s national football team, had 36 appearances, and netted four goals on the international stage for his country.
#9 – Levi Porter (5’ 3” / 160 cm)
Levi Porter is the prime example that height isn’t critical when it comes to being a good footballer. With a height of 5’ 3”, he was one of the best young left-wingers in his country. Levi represented England’s U16 as well as U17 national football teams in 2003 and 2004.
He was also a product of the Leicester City youth academy, and even played for the senior team from 2006 up until 2010, apart from the fact that he was loaned out to Mansfield Town in 2009. Throughout his time at Leicester City, he bagged 3 goals and 7 assists in 45 appearances for this high-level English club. Later on in his career, he played for clubs in lower divisions like Histon, Oadby Town, Shepshed Dynamo, etc.
At 32, Levi retired in 2019 as a Melton Town player.
#8 – Maximiliano Nicolas Moralez (5’ 2.5” / 159 cm)
Standing at 5’ 2.5”, Maximiliano Nicolas Moralez takes the No. 8 spot on this list of the shortest football players ever.
Nicknamed “Frasquito” or “Little Flask,” he was one of the most talented attacking midfielders in the world at the beginning of his career. Moralez won the FIFA U-20 World Cup trophy with Argentina in 2007. He scored 4 goals during the competition and was the second-best goalscorer in his team, right behind the legendary Sergio Aguero with 6 goals.
Regarding his club career, Moralez boasted the likes of FC Moscow, Velez Sarsfield, Atalanta, New York City, etc.
In 2017, he transferred to New York City, where he’s not just one of the best players in his team but also in the whole MLS.
#7 – Madson Formagini Caridade (5’ 2” / 157cm)
The Brazilian Madson, who stands at 5’ 2”, has had a solid career despite being a player of short stature. He’s mostly known for being skillful in set-piece situations and having impressive passing abilities.
Madson earned a reputation for being a promising youth footballer and eventually got the chance to play at Vasco da Gama and Santos, too.
His most memorable stint was not in Brazil but rather at a club called Al-Khor, which is based in Qatar. Madson was one of the best players on the team in the 6 years he spent at this club, bagging 40 goals in 129 matches.
He last played in 2020 for a low-tier Brazilian club, Sao Caetano.
#6 – Benedict Vilakazi (5’ 2” / 157 cm)
The next soccer player on the list is the South African Benedict Vilakazi. At 5’ 2”, he had no fear of engaging with taller players and was also praised for being a leader on the pitch, earning the nickname “Little Napoleon.” As a central midfielder, Benedict was tough and known as a physical player.
He mostly played for South African clubs such as the Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Black Leopards, Malanti Chiefs, etc. He also spent one season at the Danish club Aab Aalborg.
Even though Benedict was a midfielder, he is the no.1 Orlando Pirates’ goalscorer of all time with 52 goals.
Moreover, he represented the South African national team, amassed 32 caps for his country, and scored two goals.
He retired in 2014 as a Botswana Meat Commission soccer player.
#5 – Samuel Peter Lee (5’ 2” / 157 cm)
Football fans like yourself have probably heard of Samuel “Sammy” Lee, who has had an illustrious career as a player and assistant manager of the football giant Liverpool FC.
This legendary 5’ 2” midfielder was a sharp passer and excellent at man-marking. Lee’s time at Liverpool was full of accomplishments since he won two European Cups and three league titles with this club. In his 10-year spell at the Reds (1976-1986), Lee had 287 appearances, 19 goals and 45 assists.
After Liverpool, Lee played for clubs like Queens Park Rangers, Osasuna, and Southampton. He ended his football career as a Bolton Wanderers player in 1991.
Lee was also a part of England’s national team, making 3 appearances.
Regarding his coaching career, he was the assistant manager to renowned Liverpool managers like Rafael Benitez, Gerard Houllier, and Graeme Souness.
#4 – Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari (5’ 1” / 155cm)
A player who sits in the 4th position of the top 10 shortest footballers in history is the 5’ 1” Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari from Qatar. He left a huge mark in Qatar, since he was a captain for his national football team from 1992 up until 2002, playing in 51 matches and scoring two goals.
Jafal was known for being a fierce and agile midfielder, who played for Al Sadd his whole career.
He retired back in 2009 after a farewell testimonial game versus the mighty AC Milan. Since his retirement, Jafal led Al Sadd as a manager as well as a spokesperson. It’s interesting that he also played beach soccer for the national football team of Qatar.
#3 – Marcin Garuch (5’ 1” / 155 cm)
Marcin Garuch from Poland, with a height of 5’ 1”, is the shortest football player from Europe.
He’s a midfielder whose strengths are excellent passing and distributing the ball to wingers and strikers.
Besides being an impressive passer, Garuch can also put the ball into the net, scoring 33 goals in almost 300 games in his career.
Garuch is a football veteran who primarily played for Miedz Legnica and their reserve team, Miedz Legnica II. He had short spells at Chojniczanka, OfK Grbalj, and GKS Belchatow.
Garuch is living proof that short stature can’t keep you from being a solid football player.
#2 – Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios (5’ 1” / 155 cm)
The second shortest soccer player in the world is the Argentinian Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios.
He’s mainly famous for being an accurate passer and an outstanding dribbler. Despite being barely taller than 5 feet, this striker showed potential while playing at the River Plate youth club. At 16, he debuted for the senior team of River Plate and became the youngest player ever in this elite Argentinian club.
After his River Plate, Barrios played for clubs like Argentinos Juniors, Veracruz, Goias, etc. While playing for Veracruz, he was an essential part of the team, scoring 19 goals and assisting 12 times in his five-year stint with this club.
He represented the Argentina U17 team at the World Cup in 2009.
In 2024, he went to a Mexican football club called Atletico La Paz.
#1 – Elton Jose Xavier Gomes (5’ 0.63” / 154 cm)
The shortest football player to set foot on the football pitch is Elton from Brazil. Although he’s just 5’ 0.63” tall, he didn’t let his diminutive size get in the way of being a dominant attacking midfielder.
Edson was an impressive dribbler that was able to surpass much taller defenders. Besides his dribbling prowess, Gomes was also a prolific striker, scoring 71 times in 331 games as a professional football player.
He changed 15 clubs in his career, playing for teams like Corinthians, Al-Nassr, Fortaleza, Al-Fateg, Al-Qadisiyah, etc.
He hung up his football boots in 2021 at 35.
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