Top 10 tallest footballers in the world

It sure can’t be easy to play football when you are tall.

Many people think tall players are too slow, or their reactions aren’t sharp enough.

If you think Peter Crouch is the tallest football player in this world, you will most probably get flabbergasted reading this article. Since being short means more technique and speed, having tall football players in your football team is also an important asset.

On our journey to compile the most accurate list of tallest football players of all time, we came across plenty of inaccuracies and historical evidence to make this a challenging proposition. The criterion for selection was that the footballer had to have played some sort of professional football during their career. This would be fitting to answer the eternal question: Who is the tallest football players in the world?

To find out the answer to this eternal question, let’s take a look at our list of the Top 10 tallest footballers in the world.

10. Oyvind Hoas – 203 cm

He is a tall bloke from Norway, but Hoas is some what recognized. Oyvind Hoas currently plays as a striker for Kristiansund since his joining in 2015.

He started his football journey while playing for Molde FK, and then he transferred to Fredrikstad two years later. He earned acknowledgements for his brief career with Honefoss (Norwegian first division team). Besides his club appearances, Hoas also played for the under-21 international squad of Norway.

9. Even Iversen – 203 cm

The 31-year-old Norwegian defender hasn’t really played outside his home country. The current whereabouts regarding Even Iversen are still unknown but most of them believe that Even is without a club at the moment.

The pinnacle of his professional career was when he represented three-time Norwegian League Champions Bodo/Glimt between 2006-2007. He also scored 3 times during his 33 appearances for the club.

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8. Kjell Petter Opheim – 203 cm

Norwegian footballer Kjell Petter Opheim has earned compliments for his performance with Norway’s club Stryn Football (3rd tier Norwegian league squad). Besides Stryn, he also played for several other big clubs such as 2-time Norwegian Premier League winners Lyn Football and the 1983 Norwegian Cup winners Moss FK.

He also participated in several competitive matches for Manglerud Star club. Despite having good seasons in the Norwegian lower league, Opheim never really made a mark for himself in the world of football.

7. Costel Pantilimon – 203 cm

Romanian footballer Costel Fane Pantilimon currently plays as a goalkeeper for English Championship club Nottingham Forest. He earned praises for his performance with Manchester City during his time in the club between 2011 and 2014. While playing for City, he became the tallest soccer player in Premier League. After leaving the Citizens, he then played for Sunderland.

He is known for his fine conduct and performance. Besides his club career, Pantilimon also played for the Romanian national team since 2008. He is currently the 7th tallest footballer in the world.

6. Lacina Traore – 203 cm

The 23-year-old striker from Ivory Coast is one of the most exciting prospects in football these days. At 6ft 8in, he can intimidate any type of defense. Lacina Traore began his career at his boyhood club Stade d’Abidjan in Ivory Coast and later moved to CFR Cluj in Romania. He soon became a first team regular, scoring 14 goals in 44 appearances. In 2011, he was sold to FC Kuban in Russia for a fee of 6 million euros.

Traoré came into notice when Monaco bought him in 2014. But he is mostly known for his stint with Everton on loan from AS Monaco. He played as a striker for Premier League side Everton and became the tallest soccer player in EPL. Traore, who is nicknamed the “Gentle Giant” and “The Big Tree”, doesn’t just rely on his height but also on his pace and power.

5. Tor Hogne Aaroy – 204 cm

Norwegian football forward Tor Hogne Aaroy scored several impressive goals for Norwegian Premier League club Aalesunds FK. His stint with Japanese club JEF United Chiba also got praises from football pundits. Standing at 2.04 meter (6 ft 8 1⁄2 in), Tor Hogne Aaroy is the world’s 5th tallest footballer.

Aaroy earned his call-up for the Norwegian national team on 27th January 2009, as a part of then-caretaker coach Egil Olsen’s first squad. But sadly, he opted to withdraw from the national squad to stay at home awaiting the birth of his second kid.

4. Yang Changpeng – 205 cm

Yang Changpeng’s name is well known because of the trial that he had with Bolton Wanderers in 2006. Upon his arrival at Bolton, he was dubbed as the “Chinese Peter Crouch” but failed to impress and moved back to China.

But as he failed to make an impression, he moved back to his country. He then played for several Chinese clubs such as Chengdu Blades, Shenzhen Fengpeng, Meizhou Kejia and Yinchuan Helanshan. He is currently playing for Henan Jianye of Chinese Super League.

3. Vanja Ivesa – 206 cm

The 36-year-old veteran goalkeeper from Croatia has played for multiple clubs in and out of Croatia. He began his career in 1995 with NK Istra, a club located in his birthplace Pula in Croatia. After playing for 2 other teams in Croatia, he made a move to the Australian league team Sydney United FC in 2002. After spending only a year at Sydney and making just 24 appearances, he came back to NK Zminj, another Croatian Football Club.

He became the oldest player ever to participate in the Croatian First Football League on 17th February 2018. Besides, he also played for Elazigspor, the first division club in Turkey. Interestingly, he is also the tallest soccer player FIFA 19.

2. Paul Millar – 208 cm

Millar is a British striker who last played for the Scottish side Deveronvale. He is mostly acknowledged for his performance for Elgin City FC between 2010 and 2014.

Elgin City FC staff had to heighten the en

trance because of his height. He then played for the Formartine United during season 2014-15. Besides being a footballer, he is also a full-time fireman who works at the RAF Kinloss base at Moray in the Highland areas of Scotland. Kirkcaldy YM recently inducted him into their hall of fame at the annual award ceremony.

1. Kristof van Hout – 208 cm

The 31-year-old goalkeeper is officially the tallest goalkeeper on the planet, measuring up to a monstrous 208 cm. He began his career in the Netherlands at Willem II, the former club of Jaap Stam before he moved to PSV squad. Later, he also played for the Belgium side K.V. Kortrijk. He then moved to Standard Liege on a three-year contract on 6 August 2009.

He also played as a goalie for the Indian Super League club Delhi Dynamos FC in season 2014-15. Kristof is currently a squad member of the Belgian Pro League club Westerlo since 2015. This lanky goalkeeper doesn’t even have to jump to catch the incoming corners because of his height.