Following France’s impressive victory over Spain in the 2021 UEFA Nations League, and with Ballon d’Or contenders like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema eagerly awaiting the results, Wetall brings you a ranking of the tallest soccer players of all time based on one single criterion: height! Only professional players are included. You’ll also find a bonus section at the end of the article about the 2022 FIFA World Cup!
The 12 Tallest Soccer Players of All Time
You might think that famous tall players like Zlatan Ibrahimović (6’5″), Peter Crouch (6’7″), Nikola Žigić (6’7½”), or Jan Koller (6’7½”) would make the top ten, but they don’t even come close! Let’s dive into the ranking:
#8. Øyvind Hoås, 6’8″
Øyvind Hoås, born October 28, 1983, is a Norwegian striker. He has played for Kristiansund BK since 2015. He stands 6’8″ and weighs 209 lbs. Hoås also has the distinction of having represented the Norwegian Under-21 national team.
#8. Even Iversen, 6’8″
Even Iversen is also Norwegian and also stands 6’8″. Unlike his compatriot above, however, he is a defender. Even has played for Flisbyen BK since 2017 and was also born in 1983.
#8. Kjell Petter Opheim, 6’8″
Kjell Petter Opheim, born April 9, 1982, stands 6’8″. He is a former goalkeeper originally from Stryn, with an active career in soccer from 1998 to 2009. He previously played for Oslo Øst/Manglerud Star, Lyn, and Moss, finishing his career at his hometown club Stryn.
#8. Costel Pantilimon,6’8″
Costel Fane Pantilimon stands 6’8″ and was born on February 1, 1987. He is a Romanian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Denizlispor in the Süper Lig and for the Romanian national team. He is well known for his time at Nottingham Forest in the English Championship, and also played for Manchester City between 2011 and 2014.
#8. Lacina Traoré, 6’8″
Lacina Emeghara Traoré, standing 6’8″, was born on May 20, 1990. He is an Ivorian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Turkish club Bandırmaspor. He is nicknamed “the Big Tree” because of his towering frame, and is also known as the “Gentle Giant.” He has also played in the Premier League for Everton.
#7. Tor Hogne Aarøy, 6’8½”
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Tor Hogne Aarøy, born March 20, 1977, is a former Norwegian striker standing 6’8½”. He scored several impressive goals for Norwegian top-flight club Aalesunds FK, with whom he won the Norwegian Cup. He also played for a year in Japan. He was called up for the national team but chose to be present for the birth of his second child instead.
#4. Yang Changpeng, 6’9″
Yang Changpeng, born May 1, 1989, stands 6’9″ and played as a striker. Upon arriving in England for a month-long trial, he was nicknamed the “Chinese Peter Crouch.” Unable to make a strong enough impression, he returned home.
He went on to play for several Chinese clubs, including Chengdu Blades, Shenzhen Fengpeng, Meizhou Kejia, and Yinchuan Helanshan, and played until 2019 for Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League.
Changpeng showed promising signs in his youth and was just 17 when he came to England for trials with a Premier League club, having already played for China at the U20 level. The transfer never materialized, and the striker struggled from that point on, eventually finding himself in the second tier of Chinese soccer.
#4. Daniel Müller, 6’9″
Daniel Müller was born in Munich on May 19, 1992, and played as a goalkeeper. He trained at Bayern Munich but never broke into the first team of the Bavarian giants.
#4. Vanja Ivešа, 6’9″
Vanja Ivesa, born July 21, 1977, in Pula, is a Croatian goalkeeper who has played for NK Opatija since 2018. He became the oldest player to participate in the Croatian top-flight league on February 17, 2018. He has also played for Elazigspor in the Turkish first division. After making his debut with NK Istra in 1995, Ivesa played for numerous clubs in Croatia and abroad, including Australian league side Sydney United FC, Croatian club NK Žminj, Turkish club Eskişehirspor, and his hometown club NK Opatija. He is undoubtedly one of the tallest soccer players of all time and is notably the tallest player on FIFA 19.
Veteran goalkeeper Vanja Ivesa is 44 years old and has been in soccer for over two decades, spending most of those 20 years in his native Croatia with a few stints in Turkey and Australia.
#3. Tonny Brogaard, 6’9¼”
Tonny Brogaard, born February 10, 1984, formerly known as Tonny Nielsen, is a Danish goalkeeper who last played for Boldklubben Frem in the Danish first division in 2009. He had a brief stint in England with Doncaster Rovers before quickly returning to Denmark. Brogaard was rarely a regular starter at any of the clubs he played for.
#1. Paul Millar, 6’10”
Paul Millar, also known as Paul Leech-Flannigan, is a Scottish soccer player who played for Deveronvale. He is best remembered for his time at Elgin City F.C. between 2010 and 2014.
The staff at Elgin City had to raise the doorframes to accommodate his height. Millar later played for Formartine United during the 2014-15 season. Alongside soccer, he worked as a full-time firefighter at RAF Kinloss in Moray, in the Scottish Highlands.
Kirkcaldy YM inducted him into their Hall of Fame at their annual awards ceremony. Millar is the tallest outfield player in the world. He never came through an academy system but was selected to play for a Royal Air Force team, where he impressed enough to be invited to play for Scottish club Elgin City, signing in 2010 and remaining there until a serious injury ended his career in 2016. He continues to work at RAF Kinloss as a firefighter.
#1. Kristof Van Hout, 6’10”
Kristof Van Hout, born February 9, 1987, in Lommel, is a Belgian goalkeeper who has played for Westerlo in the Proximus League since 2015.
He began his career in the Netherlands at Willem II, the former club of Jaap Stam, before moving to PSV. He later played for Belgian club K.V. Kortrijk, then joined Standard Liège on August 6, 2009, on a three-year contract.
He also served as goalkeeper for Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League during the 2014-15 season. Thanks to his height, he doesn’t even need to jump to catch incoming corner kicks. The biggest club Van Hout has played for is Standard Liège, and he currently plays for KVC Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League. Van Hout won the Belgian Cup with Genk in 2013, his only trophy as a player to date.
The top 12 tallest soccer players of all time:
1. Kristof Van Hout, 6’10”
1. Paul Millar, 6’10”
3. Tonny Brogaard, 6’9¼”
4. Vanja Ivesa, 6’9″
4. Daniel Müller, 6’9″
4. Yang Changpeng, 6’9″
7. Tor Hogne Aarøy, 6’8½”
8. Lacina Traoré, 6’8″
8. Øyvind Hoås, 6’8″
8. Costel Pantilimon, 6’8″
8. Kjell Petter Opheim, 6’8″
8. Even Iversen, 6’8″
Which countries and players were the tallest at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar?
The average height of players at the World Cup was 5’11½”. This is slightly below the average across the 31 top-flight European leagues. Only one European nation fielded a squad averaging under 5’11”. At the other end of the spectrum, the six nations with the tallest players all belonged to UEFA. It’s worth noting, however, that there is no correlation between height and success.
Average squad heights also varied considerably. At one extreme, Serbia fielded players with an average height of 6’1¼”. At the other, Saudi Arabia’s squad averaged just 5’9½”.
The gaps between confederations were also significant: from 6’0¼” for UEFA-qualified nations down to 5’10¾” for CONMEBOL nations.