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In football, height is certainly an advantage when it comes to defending set pieces or scoring headed goals. Also, taller players have found it easier to win aerial duels and maintain ball possession.
In comparison, players such as Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi are short players who opponents find difficult to dispossess off the ball. Their low centre of gravity helps them maintain balance even when they are tackled.
Managers such as Jose Mourinho fancy physically built players and his style of play, though not pretty at times, revolves around that. Last season, Mourinho’s ‘giants’ included the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (6’5"), Marouane Fellaini (6’4"), Romelu Lukaku (6’3"), Paul Pogba (6’3"), Chris Smalling (6’4") and Michael Carrick (6’2).
There are tall players in the course of football history who have dominated their opponents simply because of their towering frame. Some of these players are strikers who make centre-backs look small. These footballers have all had a taste of Premier League football and would fit right in if they were to be drafted into a basketball team.
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swedish international stands at 6 ft 5 (1.95m) and it comes as no surprise that he has scored 40 headed goals in his career. For his country, he has netted a record 62 goals in 116 appearances for an impressive total of 426 career goals.
Ibrahimovic was an instant hit at Old Trafford in his first season. Aged 35, he was still able to cope with the physical nature of the Premier League. He scored 28 goals across all competitions in his debut season with the club.
What makes his height special is that he combines it with his strength to become a defender's nightmare. Ibrahimovic also has tremendous leaping ability so there is no guessing who is going to win an aerial duel.
In his lengthy career of nearly two decades, he has always been a target man in the box when his team played the traditional route one football. This was greatly seen when he scored a late winner for United during their 3-2 Carabao Cup final win over Southampton in 2017.
While playing for PSG in the 2015 season, he averaged 65% success in aerial duels won per match.
#4 Thibaut Courtois
He was one of the best goalkeepers in the league when Chelsea won it in 2014/15 and he won the Golden Glove for the 2016/2017 season. Courtois has proven on many occasions that his height is his weapon between the posts.
Height is certainly important for goalkeepers when it comes to neutralising aerial threats and their reach is crucial when making diving saves. Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois is a testament to this fact with 48 clean sheets in 126 Premier League appearances.
At 6 ft 6 (1.99m), he is one of the tallest goalkeepers in the world and has been capped 57 times for Belgium.
#3 Peter Crouch
At 37, Peter Crouch is still effective in set pieces and maintaining possession for his team. He holds the record for the most headed goals in English football with 52. This is largely due to his 6 ft 7 (2.01m) height which makes him stand a head above the rest - literally!
Crouch also has long legs which he has previously put to good use. This was seen in 2007 when England faced Croatia in a European Championship qualifier at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions were trailing 2-1 when he chested down David Beckham's cross from the right wing before stretching his right leg to score.
#2 Lacina Traore
A dip in form has seen Traore play across six different European clubs with parent club Monaco preferring to send him on various loan spells. Traore is blessed with height and strength which he uses to hold the ball.
He still has a point to prove especially with Ivory Coast in need of someone to fill the void left by Didier Drogba. The 28-year-old Ivorian striker is 6 ft 8 (2.03m) tall.
He has been capped 13 times for his country and scored 81 goals in 236 career appearances. Traore has played in some of the biggest clubs in Europe. These include; 2017 French champions AS Monaco and Everton when he went on loan
#1 Costel Pantilimon
Pantilimon was selected to the Romanian squad that took part in the 2016 European Championship in France although he remained an unused substitute. In total, he has 27 caps for his country since making his senior international debut in 2008.
The Romanian goalkeeper has played a bit-part role for most of his time in the Premier League. He has played for Manchester City where he also received a winner's medal and Watford. He made 210 appearances in 12 seasons across three top-flight clubs.
Sent on loan at Nottingham Forest, Pantilimon is not known for his shot-stopping ability or his reflex saves but rather his height. He stands at a whopping 6 ft 8 (2.03m) so any long ball kicked towards his path becomes easy pickings for the 31-year old.
At 6 ft 8, he stands tall when compared to most players on the planet.
