Some of the greatest footballers of all time have been diminutive, quick, clever players, often operating out wide or just off a centre-forward.
Their low centre of gravity is often credited with improving their technique and control. In other areas, being less vertically endowed can count as a negative. It won’t surprise you, for instance, that no goalkeepers or central defenders feature in this seven.
We have chosen under 5’6” as sufficiently short enough to qualify, so comparative giants like Dries Mertens, N’Golo Kante and Lionel Messi all miss out.
Here are our 7 best short footballers under 5’6”:
7. Mathieu Valbuena – 5 ft 5 ½ inches
Kicking us off in seventh place, edging out the likes of Cristian Pavon and Alejandro Chumacero, is former Marseille star Mathieu Valbuena. A tricky and technical left winger who can also play as an attacking midfielder, Valbuena may be 33 now, but he still has an impressive burst of acceleration. A dangerous opponent who is often deadly from set piece situations, Valbuena won 52 caps for France, before his international career ended in 2015 amid controversy. Valbuena is now at Fenerbahce, where he has scored 5 goals in 24 outings so far this season.
6. Pablo Piatti – 5 ft 4 inches
Gerard Moreno of RCD Espanyol celebrates with his team mate Pablo Piatti of RCD Espanyolafter scoring a disallowed goal during the La Liga match between Espanyol and Levante at Cornella-El…
Making Valbuena look like Peter Crouch, Pablo Piatti is the joint shortest player in this seven. Formerly of Estudiantes, Piatti has been playing in La Liga for a decade now, and won a solitary cap for Argentina back in 2011. Aged 29, Piatti had the best campaign of his career last season, scoring 10 goals and making 10 assists in 30 league games for Espanyol. Unsurprisingly, he hasn’t been able to hit those heights this season with Espanyol down in 16th, but he’s still one of the most exciting players outside La Liga’s top four.
5. Bernard – 5 ft 5 inches
Football Manager legend Bernard perhaps hasn’t quite hit the heights some expected of him in his late teens, but he’s still a very capable footballer. He has an explosive burst of pace, fantastic control on the ball and a real box full of tricks. Best deputised on the left flank, Bernard loves to cut inside and commit defenders. Having made his name with Atletico Mineiro, Bernard has been playing for Shakhtar Donetsk since 2013. The 25-year-old has been capped 14 times by Brazil, but none of those caps have come since the 2014 World Cup.
4. Sebastian Giovinco – 5 ft 4 inches
Sebastian Giovinco #10 of Toronto FC gets up from the ground during the 2017 MLS Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field on December 9, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The same height as Pablo Piatti, Sebastian Giovinco didn’t earn the nickname the ‘Atomic Ant’ without good reason. Giovinco can also play wide on the left, but he plays his best football as a second striker, where he can find space and run at the opposition. An outstanding free-kick taker, Giovinco enjoyed mixed form during his time in Italy, but he has been a huge hit in the MLS. He has been named in the MLS Best XI in every one of his three seasons in the league, and was named as the divisions MVP once. A technically proficient confidence player, the 31-year-old is exactly one foot and one inch shorter than recent MLS recruit Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
3. Alejandro Gomez – 5 ft 5 inches
Another player who had the best campaign of their career last season, Alejandro Gomez was outstanding for Atalanta in Serie A in 2016-17. The 30-year-old Argentine bagged 16 goals and made 10 assists in 37 league appearances from the left flank, earning him a first cap for the Argentine national team. A sensational dribbler with searing pace and a hatful of tricks, Gomez is having yet another impressive season in Italy, but he faces stiff competition to make Argentina’s World Cup squad.
2. Lorenzo Insigne – 5 ft 4 inches
Francesco Zampano of Udinese Calcio and Lorenzo Insigne of SSC Napoli in action during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Udinese Calcio at Stadio San Paolo on April 18, 2018 in…
It would appear that left wing is the favoured position of top class short footballers, and Serie A the division of choice. Italian international Lorenzo Insigne is Naples born and bred, and he has been with the club since the age of 15. Now aged 26, he has racked up 253 appearances and scored 62 goals for the Light Blues. Creative and intelligent, Insigne has wonderful technique, and he scored 20 goals in all competitions from the left flank last season. Like Gomez, he ranked in the top 10 of both goals scored and assists made in Serie A last season.
1. Marco Verratti – 5 ft 5 inches
The best Italian midfielder in the world today, Marco Verratti has been hailed as Andrea Pirlo’s heir in the Italian national team by some. That’s some billing, but Verratti certainly has all the tools of a world class playmaker. He is a brilliant passer of the ball, with great vision and technique, and unlike Pirlo, he doesn’t mind running around a bit too. Capped 25 times by Italy, the 25-year-old has previously been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United, but he has been starring for PSG since 2012.
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