Tallest Football Players in the World (Top 10)

Height in football may not matter as much as it would in basketball. Although there’s a perception that there is a required height for athletes in basketball, this belief is merely a superstition as research has proven. Height is an advantage but it does not stop those of a certain height from participating in the sport.

In the case of football, however, height may be an advantage or otherwise, depending on the player’s position. For example, strikers vary from tall to short players, depending on whether they are Second Strikers or Target Men. On the other hand, Centre Defenders are conventionally tall men partly because they sometimes have to stand as a threat during offensive corners and freekicks.

As we’ll see, some of the tallest football players in the world consist of people who play from different positions. In this article, RNN lists the top 10 of them all. Let’s see their names and positions on the field. Ready?

10. Øyvind Hoås- 6.8 ft

Øyvind Hoås is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker for Kristiansund. Until 2008, he played for Fredrikstad where he joined after playing for Molde FK. While with the under-21 national team of Norway, Hoås scored one goal in four appearances.

Hoås is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and is recognized as one of the tallest and highest-ranked footballers in the whole of Europe.

9. Even Iversen- 6.8 ft

Even Iversen is equally a Norwegian footballer who played as a defender for the Norwegian club, Hasle-Løren Idrettslag. The 40-year-old January-born player played only within Norway all through his professional career.

He began his career with Hasle-Løren Idrettslag in 2013 and his career experienced a massive spotlight when he featured in the professional Norwegian League Champions Bode/Glimt in 2006/07.

Iversen is 6.8 ft tall and he is 9th on the list of the top 10 tallest football players in the world.

8. Kjell Petter Opheim- 6.8 ft

Kjell Petter Opheim is a Norwegian goalkeeper that is most popular for his performance with Stryn Football, a Norwegian club (3rd tier Norwegian League Squad).

If you’re wondering why those on this list so far are Norwegians, research has proven that Norway is one of the countries with the tallest people on earth. They have taller men in Norway than in most countries. And that about sums it up, right? Moving on…

Opheim has equally played for other clubs like Lyn football (Two-time Norwegian Premier League Winner) and Moss FK (1983 Norwegian Cup Winner). He is 6.8 ft tall

7. Costel Pantilimon- 6 ft 8

One football position that typically requires tall players is the “Goalkeeper” position. Goalkeepers tend to be taller than most players on the field as they require long legs and hands to do their jobs.

Costel Pantilimon is one such football player. He is a Romanian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Turkish club, Denizlispor. He was equally a player for Manchester City between 2011 and 2014. While playing for the club in the Premier League, he was regarded as the tallest player in the league.

Costel Pantilimon is 6.8 ft tall.

6. Lacina Traore- 6.8 ft

Lacina Traore is equally one of the tallest players in the world with a height of 6.8 ft. He currently plays for the Turkish club, Bandırmaspor.

Traore however rose into the limelight when he joined Monaco in 2014. He also enjoyed the spotlight when he played as a striker for Premier League Side, Everton. Traore is one of the tallest players still active in the international space to date.

5. Tor Hogne Aarøy- 6 ft 8 1/2 in

Tor Hogne Aarøy is another Norwegian player who makes the list of the tallest professional footballers in the world. As a football forward, Aarøy has scored several outstanding goals for the Norwegian Premier League club, Aalesunds FK.

He is also known for his time with the Japanese club, JEF United Chiba. It was in 2009 that Aarøy got called up to join the Norwegian national team as part of the first squad for the then coach, Egil Olsen.

The 45-year-old player is 6.8 ft tall.

4. Yang Changpeng- 6.8 ft

Yang Changpeng is a Chinese striker who is well-recognized for his time with Bolton Wanderers in the year 2006. While on the team, he was tagged “Chinese Peter Crouch” during his one-month trial in England.

Changpeng however moved back to China after failing to make an impression. Upon his move to China, the 33-year-old striker played for Chinese clubs like Shenzhen Fengpeng, Chengdu Blades, Meizhou Kejia, and Yinchuan Helanshan. At the moment, he plays for Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League.

Yang Changpeng is 6 feet and 8.1/2 inches tall. He is among the tallest active professional footballers in the game.

3. Vanja Ivesa- 6.9 ft

Vanja Ivesa is a Croatian footballer who plays for NK Opatija as a goalkeeper. Ivesa is one of the very few goalkeepers on this list. The footballer has made a name for himself in so many things. He was the oldest player to ever feature in the Croatian First Football League in 2018.

Asides his multiple Croatian presences, Ivesa has played for several other clubs in different countries such as Turkey’s first-division club- Elazığspor; Australian league team Sydney United FC; Turkish Club Eskişehirspor, and Croatian Football Club NK Zminj.

Interestingly, Ivesa is the tallest soccer player on FIFA 22. He is 6.9 ft tall.

2. Paul Millar- 6 ft 10

Paul Millar is a British striker who is widely recognized for his performance while he was at Elgin City FC from 2010 to 2014. He then played for Formartine United during the 2014/15 season.

Millar last played for the Scottish side, Deveronvale. He was inducted into the Kirkcaldy YM Hall of Fame at their annual award ceremony. He is 6 ft 10 in tall.

Among all the tallest footballers in Europe, Paul Millar stands out as the tallest in the continent and the second-tallest foootball player in the world.

1. Kristof van Hout- 6 ft 10

Kristof van Hout is not the tallest football player in the world for nothing; he is 6 ft 10 in tall. The 35-year-old player began his career in the Netherlands at the formere club of Jaap Stam, Willem II before he moved to the PSV squad.

Kristof is a goalkeeper who played for Belgium side, K.V. Kortrijk before moving to Standard Liege on a 3-year-contract. He equally played for the Indian Super League club, Delhi Dynamos FC in the 2014/2015.

The goalkeeper is currently a squad member of Westerlo, a Belgian Professional League club he joined since 2015. His height is defiinitely an advantage for his position.

Top 10 Tallest Football Players in the World (Summary)

Here’s a list of the top 10 tallest footballers in the world as highlighted in this article:

1. Kristof van Hout- 6 ft 10 in
2. Paul Millar- 6 ft 10 in
3. Vanja Ivesa- 6 ft 9 in
4. Yang Changpeng- 6 ft 8 in
5. Tor Hogne Aarøy- 6 ft 8 in
6. Lacina Traore- 6 ft 8 in
7. Costel Pantilimon- 6 ft 8 in
8. Kjell Petter Opheim- 6 ft 8 in
9. Even Iversen- 6 ft 8 in
10. Øyvind Hoås- 6 ft 8 in