For all their athletic ability and untold riches, football players tend to be pretty average when it comes to height, for sports stars at least. You don't tend to see many players exceeding 1.92m – or 6 foot 3 – and it usually becomes a talking point when they do.
For example, Peter Crouch was a great player in his own right, but he is remembered for being one of the tallest players we have ever seen. Put him up against a basketball player, however, and he is distinctly average – height-wise, that is.
So how tall can professional players get, and who are the tallest professional players in world football today?
With that in mind, we have created a list of the 10 tallest football players still playing the game today in 2024 using data from Transfermarkt.
Disclaimer – for the purpose of this list, we have only included players playing at professional level.
Carlos Miguel
2.04m/6 foot 7
Corinthians
Goalkeeper
Armin Spahic
2.05m/6 foot 8
TOSK Tesanj
Centre-back
Milan Ziric
2.05m/6 foot 8
Vorwarts Steyr
Centre-back
Lucas Berstrom
2.05m/6 foot 8
Chelsea
Goalkeeper
Kevin Gadella
2.06m/6 foot 9
FC Utrecht II
Goalkeeper
Kjell Scherpen
2.06m/6 foot 9
SK Sturm Graz
Goalkeeper
Denys Tvardovskyi
2.06m/6 foot 9
Shakhtar Donetsk
Goalkeeper
Issak Toure
2.06m/6 foot 9
FC Lorient
Centre-back
Tomas Holy
2.06m/6 foot 9
Carlisle United
Goalkeeper
Kyle Hudlin
2.06m/6 foot 9
Huddersfield Town
Striker
10 Carlos Miguel (Corinthians) 2.04m (6 foot 7) – Goalkeeper
We're kicking off our list with a goalkeeper – there is going to be plenty of those – from South America, Brazil to be exact.
Carlos Miguel comes in at a massive 2.04m, or just about 6 foot 7, and we say massive regarding the rest of us. Compared to the rest of the players on this list, he's a good one to two inches shorter.
Miguel began his career in Internacional's reserve side before spending a couple of seasons on loan with Santa Cruz and Boa Esporte before making a permanent move to Brazilian giants Corinthians in August 2021.
He isn't the side's number-one keeper, but he has made eight first-team appearances this year and kept six clean sheets in the process, which is pretty good going for a backup.
9 Armin Spahic (TOSK Tesanj) 2.05m (6 foot 8) – Centre-back
The second man to make it onto our list is Austrian centre-back Armin Spahic, who is the first of three players to come in at 2.05m, or about 6 foot 8.
The 23-year-old is currently plying his trade in Bosnia-Herzegovina for second-tier side TOSK Tesanj, who he only joined in September of last year from fellow Bosnian second-tier side OFK Gradina Srebrenik.
The Austrian looks to be enjoying a relatively successful first season with his new club as he has featured in the starting XI 11 times so far this season and has even found himself on the scoresheet on one occasion – not bad for a new defender.
8 Milan Ziric (Vorwarts Steyr) 2.05m (6 foot 8) – Centre-back
We've got another Austrian centre-back measuring 6 foot 8 inches coming in next, although instead of playing in the Bosnian second division, he has stayed closer to home.
Milan Ziric plays for Austrian third-tier side Vorwarts Steyr, joining them in July last year from fourth-tier side SPG Wels II.
Like his compatriot in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ziric is having a great season with his new side, starting 12 games so far this season and helping them climb to fourth in the table – as things stand.
7 Lucas Bergstrom (Chelsea) 2.05m (6 foot 8) – Goalkeeper
The last 6 foot 8 player on the list is our second goalkeeper and the first player to ply his trade on these shores, in the Premier League, no less.
Lucas Berstrom is currently a Chelsea player and has been ever since his move from Finnish side Turun Palloseura during the 2018/19 season.
He spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Peterborough United and made 28 first-team appearances for the posh, in which he kept nine clean sheets.
He hasn't made a first-team appearance for the Blues yet, but he was on the team's preseason tour of America and has one international cap to his name.
6 Kevin Gadella (FC Utrecht II) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Goalkeeper
We have reached the players on this list who tower above pretty much everyone else on a football pitch and probably wouldn't look amiss on a basketball court.
Kevin Gadella plys his trade in his home country of the Netherlands with FC Utrecht II – their under 21 team – and he has been having a mixed season so far this year.
He has featured in 13 games for the club, and he has let in 24 goals and kept five clean sheets so far, and with the team down in 19th place, he'll surely be looking to improve as the campaign continues.
5 Kjell Scherpen (SK Sturm Graz) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Goalkeeper
We're back in the Premier League for the next one, well, sort of.
Kjell Scherpen is currently on loan to Austrian first-tier side Sturm Graz, but his parent club are Brighton & Hove Albion, back in the English top-flight.
The young Dutchman joined the Seagulls from Eredivisie giants Ajax in the summer of 2021 for an undisclosed fee before spending time in Belgium and the Netherlands on loan before ending up in Austria this season.
He's been having a cracking season this year, having conceded just 32 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions, as well as keeping nine clean sheets in the process.
It would be great to see him make it in the Premier League one day, just to see how some of the shorter strikers cope with him.
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BySean Markus CliffordOct 4, 2023 4 Denys Tvardovskyi (Shakhtar Donetsk) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Goalkeeper
The fourth spot gives us our fourth goalkeeper on the bounce – we did say there were a lot of them on this list – and it's Shakhtar Donetsk's backup, Denys Tvardovskyi.
The 20-year-old has been with the Ukrainian giants for his entire professional career but has yet to be given the opportunity to start a game for the first team, let alone an appearance off the bench.
However, he has started eight games in the UEFA Youth League for the U19s, conceding 12 goals but keeping three clean sheets. He has also earned three caps for the Ukrainian U19 side and one for the U21s.
We reckon it won't be long until we see him in the starting XI for Shakhtar.
3 Isaak Toure (FC Lorient) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Centre-back
The third spot on the list gives us a much-needed break from the wall-to-wall goalkeepers of the last four entries – my apologies to the union – with 20-year-old centre-back Isaak Toure claiming the bronze.
The Gonesse-born titan stands at 2.06m – 6 foot 9 – and currently plys his trade for Ligue 1 side FC Lorient after completing a move from French giants Marseille earlier this summer.
He's having a reasonably successful season with the men in orange this year, appearing in 18 games and helping his team stay out of the relegation zone, for now at least.
2 Tomas Holy (Carlisle United) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Goalkeeper
The penultimate player on our list is another goalkeeper who makes his living in the English leagues, Carlisle United's Tomas Holy.
Like the four players before him, the six-cap Czech international comes in at a whopping 6 foot 9 and has been a regular in the EFL ever since his 2017 move to Gillingham from Prague outfit Sparta Prague.
He would make over 100 appearances for the Gills before moving to Ipswich Town in 2019. A couple of loan moves to Cambridge United and Port Vale followed before he joined Carlisle on a permanent contract in the summer of 2022.
Since moving north, Holy has become one of the most important members of the first team and has made 73 appearances to date.
1 Kyle Hudlin (Huddersfield Town) 2.06m (6 foot 9) – Striker
Right, here we are, number one, and we have saved the best until last, a 6 foot 9 striker, yes, a striker.
Just think back to how big Peter Crouch used to look against regular defenders, and then add another two inches. That is how tall Huddersfield Town striker Kyle Hudlin is.
The 23-year-old forward started his career with Solihull before moving to Solihull Moors and finally to Huddersfield Town in July 2022. Since then, he has spent six months on loan with AFC Wimbledon before returning to the Terriers, where he still is this season.
However, he hasn't exactly proved his worth since joining as he's currently on loan at League One side Burton Albion.
However, the talent is undoubtedly there, as he was a real handful at Solihull Moors. Just have a look for yourselves.