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Gone are the days when every footballer was expected to be 6 feet tall to be able to cope with the English game.
With the arrival of the Premier League in 1992 and the influx of diminutive football stars, the under 6 feet footballers have found a pride of place in the league and are now central to any team’s hopes of achieving glory.
#10 Manuel Lanzini (West Ham)
Height: 5 feet, 5.5 inches (1.67m)
La Joya (The Jewel) as he is fondly called, Manuel Lanzini has been one of the brightest sparks for the Irons since Slaven Bilic took over.
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He is one of the more underrated stars in the league and has been the creative force and midfield lynchpin since Dimitri Payet went walkabout last season. His close control, playmaking abilities, work rate and knack for goals have made him a firm favourite with the West Ham fans.
In just 63 games, he has garnered a respectable tally of 14 goals and 4 assists.
#9 Joe Allen (Stoke City)
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches (1.68m)
The “Welsh Xavi” has had an okay career since he arrived on the scene with Swansea in 2011. Alongside Leon Britton and under the tutelage of Brendan Rogers won rave reviews for his performances at the heart of an aesthetically pleasing Swansea side.
His £15m move to Liverpool helped his career immensely but seems to have really come into his own since he moved to Stoke City last season for a reported £13m fee.
With 14 goals and 6 assists in 170 PL appearances, Allen is certainly worth his place on the short but mighty list.
#8 Xherdan Shaqiri
Height: 5 feet, 6.5 inches (1.69m)
An imperious and often arrogant presence, Xherdan has lit up the Bet365 Stadium since he joined The Potters from Inter Milan for £12m in 2015.
Called the “Alpine Messi” due to similarities with the Argentine superstar (height and abilities), Shaqiri’s PL career has not gone as should due to a succession of injuries.
Whenever fit, he brings a completely different dimension to Stoke City’s play with his dead ball abilities, dribbling, playmaking and crossing skills unmatched by any other player in the team.
With 55 games played in his 3 seasons so far, he has delivered a rather disappointing tally of 8 goals and 10 assists.
#7 Aaron Lennon (Everton)
Height: 5 feet, 5 inches (1.65m)
A staple of the Premier League for the last 12 years, Aaron has been one of the more exciting wingers in this period.
With his electric pace and ability to beat his man, Lennon was earmarked for good things right from his days in the Leeds United Academy.
He is no longer a regular starter under coach Ronald Koeman but is expected to play a leading role in the dressing room, advising the youngsters and being a positive influence following from his experiences with stress and depression.
He has made 328 PL appearances for Leeds, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton bagging a reasonable tally of 33 goals and 47 assists in his career.
#6 Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Height: 5 feet, 7 inches (1.70m)
One of the nicest players in the league, Juan has been a fans’ favourite ever since he arrived in England from Valencia under Andre Villas-Boas in 2011.
Blessed with a very quick footballing brain and feet, Juan has been wowing fans with his creative skills either on the flanks or just behind the main striker.
While no longer a regular starter, Mata has shown an adaptability that is admirable and will be of great importance to the Red Devils in their title quest.
One of Spain’s finer exports to English football, he has scored 46 goals and made 40 assists in 200 PL games till date.
#5 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Height: 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7m)
Speedster, trickster and now rising star, Raheem’s career trajectory has been keeping up with the Jamaican-born star’s pace.
His ability to play anywhere on the flanks has made him a very useful addition to both Liverpool and Manchester City and is set to play a key role in the Citizens’ quest for a third Premier League title.
He has been one of the most talked about players in the league since he made his debut for Liverpool in 2012 and is the second most expensive English player in history following his £49m move to the Etihad Stadium in 2015.
With 36 goals and 22 assists in 165 games, there is still a lot of work to be done on Sterling before he can truly be called a very good player.
#4 Pedro Rodríguez (Chelsea)
Height: 5 feet, 6.5 inches (1.69m)
The Spanish Fly, Pedrito has been a success since he arrived at Stamford Bridge after a Barcelona career filled with trophies but one where he always played second fiddle to the team’s main men; Messi and Co.
At Chelsea, he has become one of the team’s go-to guys and was an important member of the Blues team that swept aside all opposition to clinch the league title last season.
A versatile forward-thinking player who is ambidextrous (able to use both feet equally well), Pedro functions effectively anywhere in the front line and is a coach’s favourite due to his mazy running, competitive nature, team ethic and knack for scoring/assisting.
He is now into his third season in the English top-flight and his scorecard so far reads 70 games played, 17 goals and 12 assists.
#3 Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Height: 5 feet, 7 inches (1.71m)
The Little Magician, Coutinho is perhaps the most important cog in the Liverpool wheel and carries the weight of the fans’ expectations on his short but broad shoulders.
Renowned for his dribbling and long-range shooting, he has also gained a reputation for his range of passing from long range passes either from deep midfield or in defence to short defence-splitting passes.
Capable of playing on the flanks, behind the main striker or dropping deeper into central midfield, Coutinho is integral to Liverpool’s hopes of achieving anything meaningful as evinced by the club’s rejection of mega money bids from FC Barcelona for his services.
With 141 appearances in the Premier League so far, Philippe has an above average record of 36 goals and 30 assists.
#2 N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea)
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches (1.68m)
The Energizer Bunny, N’Golo has been integral to the success of the last two winners of the Premier League; Leicester City and Chelsea.
With his non-stop running, great tackling and excellent ball-winning abilities, he is fundamental to the hopes of Chelsea to retain the league title and barring injury, is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet in every game.
He has made the defensive midfield his own and stands head and shoulder above every other defensive midfielder in the league.
Given his role, his return of 3 goals and 5 assists in 79 Premier League appearances is more than adequate.
#1 Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal)
Height: 5 feet, 6.5 inches (1.69m)
The Thorin Oakenshield; (King of the Dwarves in the movie; The Hobbit) of the Premier League’s golden dwarves, Alexis has been a one-man force of nature since his arrival in England from Barcelona in a £35m deal in 2014.
His fiercely competitive, hard running style mixed with typical South American flair and ingenuity have marked him out as one of the league’s biggest stars. Blessed with awareness, pace, skill and goalscoring ability, Alexis has proven to be capable of playing anywhere across the front line and is central to Arsenal’s admittedly faint hopes of winning the title.
With 58 goals and 23 assists in just 108 games, Alexis is the king of the short ones.
