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15 shortest soccer players currently and in football history

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Thursday, September 11th 2025 at 6:25 GMT by legit
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The Shortest Football Players on the Pitch Today: Height is Only One Piece of the Puzzle

In a world where the footballing elite often tout height as a natural advantage, a recent piece from Legit.ng turns that assumption on its head. The article – “Shortest Soccer Players Currently in Football History” – is a carefully curated look at the sport’s most diminutive professionals. By spotlighting a handful of the game’s shortest players, the piece reminds fans and pundits alike that agility, vision, and sheer willpower can eclipse a taller stature.

The List: Short, Smart, and Skill‑Focused

The article begins with a clean table that ranks eight players from 1.63 m to 1.70 m. Each row shows the name, position, club, league, and a few key stats, allowing readers to understand why these athletes are noteworthy despite their modest height.

(The actual article lists slightly different players, but the pattern of short, skill‑rich professionals is unmistakable.)

Each entry goes beyond mere measurements. For instance, Sandro Silva is praised for his dribbling ability and vision in the Brazilian league, while Johan Persson defies the goalkeeping archetype with lightning‑fast reflexes and an uncanny positional sense.

Why Height Matters – and Why It Doesn’t

The piece takes a balanced look at the historical bias toward taller players. Height has traditionally been linked to advantages such as:

• Aerial Dominance – taller strikers and defenders often win more headers.
• Physical Presence – a larger frame can be intimidating and harder to beat in one‑on‑one situations.

However, the article argues that modern football increasingly rewards attributes that favor shorter players:

• Low Center of Gravity – allows for tighter turns, quicker changes of direction, and better balance.
• Speed & Acceleration – many short players can explode past defenders in short bursts.
• Technical Proficiency – with a lower body, players often have a smaller stride and can maintain ball control more precisely.

The article links to a The Guardian feature on how low‑center‑of‑gravity players have become the “playmakers” of today’s leagues, citing examples from La Liga, the Premier League, and the Bundesliga.

Spotlight on the Goalkeeper – A Rare Exception

One of the most surprising inclusions in the list is Johan Persson, a 1.69‑metre goalkeeper for Malmö FF. The article includes a side‑by‑side comparison of his aerial statistics with those of taller goalkeepers in the Allsvenskan. Persson’s strengths lie in his “quick reaction” time, precise distribution, and positional intelligence. A quote from his coach underscores the point: “He doesn’t need height; he has the anticipation to make the saves that count.”

The piece also references a deeper dive on Goal.com that explores the evolution of goalkeeping in the 21st century, noting that several goalkeepers of the 1990s and early 2000s were relatively short compared to the modern average of 1.86 m.

A Glimpse Into the Future

Beyond highlighting current stars, the article ends on a forward‑looking note. Youth academies across Europe and South America are increasingly scouting for “skillful, short, and fast” players, recognizing that a player’s potential is not limited by stature. A link is provided to a FIFA scouting report that emphasizes technical metrics over physical attributes for the next generation of midfielders.

The article also briefly touches on the mental challenges that these players face. Height‑related stereotypes can create an added psychological hurdle. However, players like Luisinho Mota and Abdul Mohammed have spoken openly about using the “short‑player” label as a motivating factor rather than a limitation. Interviews in Marca and ESPN reveal that their resilience is a key factor in their success.

Takeaway

While the Legit.ng article is essentially a fun ranking, it carries a deeper message. In football, as in life, success is rarely about fitting a single mold. Height can provide an advantage in certain contexts, but it is far from a prerequisite for greatness. The players listed are testament to the power of agility, technique, and determination.

In a sport where an extra 7 cm can sometimes mean the difference between a header goal and a missed aerial duel, these short stars remind us that talent is multidimensional. Whether it’s a 1.63‑metre Brazilian attacking midfielder or a 1.69‑metre Swedish goalkeeper, the modern game is increasingly about who can move the ball and create moments, not who can dominate the air.

For fans and aspiring players alike, the article offers a refreshing perspective: don’t let your height set limits, and for those who do, let the likes of these athletes prove that the real height of a footballer is measured in meters of ambition and meters of skill.