10 Shortest Football Players of All Time

Marcin Garuch and Élton José Xavier Gomes are the shortest players in this selection, both listed at 154 cm. That is about 5 feet 0.6 inches. Their published heights and traceable professional careers make them strong examples of how small a senior footballer can be. They should not, however, be described as proven global record holders.

This list covers ten notably short men who played senior professional, eleven-a-side football. It compares published heights, explains important source differences and gives each player’s career context. It does not cover women’s football, youth-only players, futsal or beach soccer. The order follows the height used in this article; it does not rank football ability or claim to include every professional who has ever been shorter than 161 cm.

Key Takeaways

• Garuch and Élton share the smallest listed height here: 154 cm.
• Height records are published profile data, not measurements independently taken by FootballerRank.
• Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari has conflicting records. We use Olympedia’s 158 cm and disclose the alternatives.
• Maxi Moralez, Levi Porter, Yeferson Soteldo and Diego Buonanotte form the approximately 160 cm group.
• Sebastian Giovinco is discussed separately because Sampdoria’s match programme lists him at 165 cm.

Shortest Football Players: Height Comparison

Equal heights share a rank. Names within a tied group are not ordered by skill. Feet and inches are approximate conversions of the centimetre figure, except Moralez, whose club gives his height in feet and inches. Small differences between profiles can change positions in this table.

Jafal’s records differ substantially. Buonanotte’s Olympic-era profile gives 160 cm, while later databases give 161 cm. Their entries are source-dependent, as explained below. Other short professionals can share these heights without appearing in this ten-player selection.

How We Chose the Players and Heights?

Each player needs a traceable senior professional career and a height recorded by an identifiable source. An unsourced list repeating a number is not enough. Club and competition material can provide direct evidence of what was published, while established databases help when an accessible club record is unavailable. Neither type guarantees that a player was measured under a standard process.

We prefer identifiable club or competition material where available and use established player records otherwise. If sources disagree, we state the figure and source used rather than quietly selecting the smallest number. Historical profiles remain useful for an all-time article, but they must be labelled as historical. A later profile should not be treated as proof that an earlier one was accurate or inaccurate.

The title describes a selection of very short professionals, not a complete worldwide height register. No comprehensive historical record allows us to prove the ten smallest adult measurements across every league. Players at the same height may be omitted from a ten-name article. That limit is separate from whether a named player had a documented professional career.

Centimetres are the main unit because rounding to whole inches can hide differences. For example, 157 cm and 158 cm are both often written as about 5 feet 2 inches. Treating those rounded conversions as identical measurements would lose information.

1. Marcin Garuch — 154 cm

Country: Poland | Role: Midfielder | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 0.6 in

Garuch’s Global Sports Archive profile lists him at 154 cm. Transfermarkt also gives that figure, and Polish reporting has described him at the same height. These records support his place at the head of this selection without establishing an independently certified world record.

His career is closely associated with Miedź Legnica. He reached Poland’s top division with the club, giving him documented senior evidence beyond the height claim. His appearance in the 2023 league draw against Górnik Zabrze is recorded in match data. We do not need to inflate his career totals to show that he played professional football.

Garuch illustrates why fame and height should remain separate. A player does not need to be a global star to qualify for a physical comparison. His 154 cm listing is what places him first here; his senior record establishes the professional context.

1. Élton José Xavier Gomes — 154 cm

Country: Brazil | Role: Attacking midfielder | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 0.6 in

Élton shares first place with Garuch because FBref and Transfermarkt list him at 154 cm. His full name matters: several professional players are called Elton, and a height copied from the wrong profile would undermine the comparison. This entry refers to the Brazilian attacking midfielder born in 1986.

He built a notable part of his career in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Pro League’s retrospective confirms his role in Al Fateh’s 2013 league title, a major achievement for the club. That record gives the entry sporting substance beyond a surprising height figure.

His work as a creator shows that reaching senior football at this size is possible. It does not establish that short players are automatically better passers or dribblers. His achievements belong to his football career; the tie at the top comes from the published 154 cm figure.

3. Benedict Vilakazi — 157 cm

Country: South Africa | Role: Midfielder | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 1.8 in

Sky Sports lists Benedict Vilakazi at 1.57 metres, or 157 cm. That places him three centimetres above the joint leaders and ahead of the 158 cm entries under the sources used here. He is the shortest South African player in this selection, which is a narrower claim than calling him the shortest in the country’s entire history.

Vilakazi is best known for his Orlando Pirates career and also played for clubs including Mamelodi Sundowns and Denmark’s AaB. He represented South Africa at senior level. His experience across domestic and international football makes him a useful example of a small midfielder with a substantial senior career.

Appearance and goal figures can differ according to whether they count league matches or all competitions. This profile therefore avoids presenting an unlabelled career total. His published height and established professional identity are enough for his place in the comparison.

4. Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari — 158 cm in Olympedia

Country: Qatar | Role: Midfielder | Approximate conversion used: 5 ft 2.2 in

Jafal is one of the most important source cautions in this article. Olympedia lists the former Al Sadd player at 158 cm. FBref gives 155 cm, while Transfermarkt has a 170 cm listing for the matching name and birth date. These are materially different records, not merely two equivalent unit conversions.

We use the identifiable Olympic-era Olympedia profile for the table and show the disagreement here. That choice makes his rank conditional on the source used. It does not prove that 158 cm is his exact adult height or that the other profiles are definitely wrong. Using FBref instead would put him above Vilakazi; using Transfermarkt would take him outside this group.

His Al Sadd and Qatar background gives him clear football context. Olympedia lists him with Qatar’s 1992 Olympic team as a non-starter, so inclusion in that record should not be turned into a claim that he played Olympic matches. His professional career and his disputed height are separate questions.

5. Daniel Villalva — 158 cm

Country: Argentina | Role: Forward and winger | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 2.2 in

Zerozero lists Daniel Villalva at 158 cm. His entry shares fourth place with Jafal under the height sources used in this article. That tie should not be mistaken for a judgment that their careers or playing styles were equal.

Villalva came through River Plate and reached its senior team while still a teenager. He later played in Mexico, including a spell with Veracruz, as well as in Argentina. These are documented senior clubs, so his inclusion does not depend on a youth-only record or a nickname.

His forward and wide roles also show why a small player can find a place in a professional attack. Receiving between defenders, combining with teammates and carrying the ball are tasks where technique and decisions matter greatly. Height alone neither proves those skills nor prevents a player from developing them.

6. Rui Barros — 159 cm

Country: Portugal | Role: Attacking midfielder | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 2.6 in

Zerozero lists Rui Barros at 159 cm. The height source here is the named player database; we do not describe that listing as an independently checked federation measurement. He is among the shortest players in this selection with an extensive career at major European clubs.

Barros played for Porto, Juventus, Monaco and Marseille. His senior Portugal record is 36 appearances and four goals, supported by career records and the biography published by Aliados FC Lordelo. Those details place his size in the context of a sustained professional and international career.

He is a strong answer for readers asking about very short players in major European football. His club history provides that evidence without requiring an unsupported claim that he was the shortest ever in every European league. The comparison is about listed height; the level and length of his career explain why his name remains notable.

7. Maxi Moralez — About 160 cm

Country: Argentina | Role: Attacking midfielder | Club-listed height: 5 ft 3 in

New York City FC describes Maxi Moralez as 5 feet 3 inches tall. That converts to 160.02 cm, which we round to about 160 cm. Writing the full conversion as a precise measured height would suggest a level of accuracy that the original whole-inch listing does not provide.

Moralez played for clubs including Racing, Vélez Sarsfield, Atalanta, León and NYCFC. New York City’s records confirm 20 MLS assists in 2019 and his contribution to the club’s 2021 MLS Cup-winning run. These are specific, labelled achievements rather than a mixture of league and career totals.

His career makes him one of the most familiar names in this group. The approximately 160 cm entry comes from the club’s stated imperial height, and the table preserves that qualification. It should not be read as proof that every player shown at 160 cm was exactly the same size.

8. Levi Porter — 160 cm

Country: England | Role: Winger | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 3.0 in

Sky Sports lists Levi Porter at 1.60 metres. FBref and other established player databases also give 160 cm. Those listings support his inclusion as a notably short English professional, with a traceable senior playing record.

Porter developed at Leicester City and played for its first team. His senior Leicester period ran from 2006 to 2010, and he later played in the lower divisions. This article does not require every player to have reached a top national division: senior professional football is the relevant scope.

That distinction matters for a height article. Restricting the list to famous internationals would overlook professionals such as Porter. His place comes from the height record and senior career, without turning a lower-division spell into evidence of top-flight appearances.

9. Yeferson Soteldo — 160 cm

Country: Venezuela | Role: Winger | Approximate conversion: 5 ft 3.0 in

Transfermarkt lists Yeferson Soteldo at 160 cm. ESPN’s Fluminense squad listing also gives 1.60 metres, and reporting on the 2025 Club World Cup squad uses that figure. Older reporting has sometimes given 159 cm, so the number is not unanimous across all sources.

We use 160 cm and state the alternative rather than choosing 159 cm to move him higher. Applying that approach consistently allows Soteldo into the same height group as Moralez and Porter. A minor source disagreement is a reason to explain the entry, not automatically exclude the player while allowing similar disagreements elsewhere.

His career includes Santos, Grêmio and Fluminense, and he has represented Venezuela. The Fluminense player profile confirms his identity and attacking role. That club page does not itself supply the height used here, so it should not be cited as if it did.

10. Diego Buonanotte — 160 cm in Olympedia

Country: Argentina | Role: Attacking midfielder | Approximate historical conversion: 5 ft 3.0 in

Olympedia lists Diego Buonanotte at 160 cm in its profile associated with Argentina’s 2008 Olympic team. Transfermarkt and Sofascore give 161 cm in later profiles. The table uses the historical Olympedia figure and labels it clearly; it is not a claim that his current profile height is 160 cm.

Buonanotte developed at River Plate and later played in several countries, including Spain and Chile. Olympedia confirms his gold medal with Argentina in 2008. That achievement supplies clear senior tournament context without confusing him with fellow Argentine Facundo Buonanotte.

If all entries were rebuilt using later database figures alone, he would move to 161 cm and leave this tied group. Readers should keep that limitation in mind. His inclusion shows an identifiable historical listing, rather than resolving the one-centimetre difference through guesswork.

Why Sebastian Giovinco Is Outside the Main Table?

Giovinco is often described as 160 cm in shortest-player articles, but that is not a secure figure to present without qualification. Sampdoria’s official match programme for the 2022 Genoa game lists him at 165 cm. Transfermarkt gives 164 cm. Those records are stronger reasons to question a flat 160 cm claim than the repetition of that number in general lists.

He remains a notable short professional with a successful career at Juventus, Parma, Toronto FC, Al Hilal and Sampdoria. The issue is his exact place in a height table. Using the club-published 165 cm figure puts him above this selection’s smallest height group. We therefore discuss him separately and include Soteldo in the main ten.

What These Heights Say About Football Ability?

Height is one physical feature, not a player rating. A smaller winger can still create chances, and a smaller midfielder can still keep possession and read a match well. Those tasks depend on technique, coordination, timing and decisions. Being short does not automatically make someone agile or a good dribbler.

Aerial contests and reach place different demands on players. Coaches consider these alongside strength, jumping, positioning and the team’s system. This selection contains mainly midfielders and attackers, but ten selected names do not establish a statistical rule about where every short footballer plays.

For a comparison based on performances rather than physical size, see our best young football players ranking.

Readers interested in the other end of the height range can also see our tallest football players.

Why Football Height Records Disagree?

A club profile, a tournament guide and a player database may publish different numbers for the same person. Possible causes include rounding, conversion, older records and data-entry errors. A disagreement alone does not tell us which cause applies to a particular player. We should not invent an explanation such as growth or footwear without supporting evidence.

The size of the difference also matters. Moralez’s 5 feet 3 inches converts naturally to about 160 cm. Jafal’s 155, 158 and 170 cm records cannot all be explained as equivalent conversions. Giovinco’s 160 cm claim also differs meaningfully from Sampdoria’s published 165 cm. These cases need separate notes rather than one blanket claim that every difference is harmless rounding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the shortest football player of all time?

Garuch and Élton share the smallest listed height in this selection at 154 cm. The available sources do not prove that either is the shortest professional ever across every country and era.

How tall is Marcin Garuch?

Global Sports Archive and Transfermarkt list Garuch at 154 cm, approximately 5 feet 0.6 inches. This is a published profile height rather than a measurement taken by FootballerRank.

Is Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari 155 cm tall?

FBref gives 155 cm, but Olympedia gives 158 cm and Transfermarkt has a 170 cm listing. We use 158 cm from Olympedia and make the disagreement visible. His exact height is not settled by this article.

Is Sebastian Giovinco really 160 cm tall?

Some articles use 160 cm, but Sampdoria’s 2022 match programme lists 165 cm and Transfermarkt gives 164 cm. We do not use an unqualified 160 cm entry in the main table.

Can a player around 154 cm become a professional?

Yes. Garuch and Élton have documented senior professional careers and published 154 cm profiles. Height can affect particular football tasks, but it does not by itself determine technical quality or a player’s career.

Sources and Record Notes

Global Sports Archive and FBref support the identified Garuch and Élton height entries. Sky Sports supports Vilakazi and Porter. Zerozero supports Villalva and Barros. NYCFC supplies Moralez’s feet-and-inches listing and the labelled MLS achievements. Transfermarkt supplies the Soteldo figure and the competing Jafal, Giovinco and Buonanotte listings.

Olympedia supplies Jafal’s 158 cm profile and Buonanotte’s 160 cm Olympic-era profile, participation details and medal record. Sampdoria’s 2022 match programme supplies Giovinco’s 165 cm listing. The Saudi Pro League supports Élton’s Al Fateh title context; Aliados FC Lordelo supports Barros’s senior Portugal totals. These sources show what was recorded, rather than certifying a universal measurement standard.

Conclusion

In short, Marcin Garuch and Élton José Xavier Gomes lead this selection of the shortest football players at a listed 154 cm. Vilakazi, Jafal, Villalva and Barros follow under the named sources, with Moralez, Porter, Soteldo and Buonanotte completing the approximately 160 cm group. The records also show why precise claims need care: Jafal has conflicting profiles, Buonanotte’s entry is historical, and Sampdoria lists Giovinco above the main group. These players demonstrate that a small frame can fit a professional career, while the source notes keep the height comparison within what the evidence supports.