Footballers can come in all shapes and sizes. You can be a success in England’s top flight regardless of your appearance. Below, we will reveal the shortest football player in the English Premier League this season.
The Shortest Football Player (From Smallest To Tallest)
Tariq Lamptey – 164cm – 5ft 4in – Defender – (Brighton & Hove Albion / Ghana)
YOB: 2000
At just 5ft 4in, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ghanaian, Tariq Lamptey, is currently the shortest footballer in the English Premier League for the 2023/2024 season. Born in Hillingdon, Greater London, Tariq Lamptey was trained at the Chelsea academy when he was eight.
He made his debut and only premier league appearance for Chelsea against Arsenal before signing for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2020. In total, Lamptey made three appearances for Chelsea and has played 77 times for Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring two goals with seven assists.
Ian Maatsen – 167cm – 5ft 5in – Left Back – (Chelsea / Netherlands)
YOB: 2002
After a brilliant loan spell in the championship in the 2022/23 season which saw Maatsen help Vincent Kompany’s Burnley to a Championship title and promotion back to The Premier League, Maatsen earned a place for the coming season in the Chelsea squad.
With The side heavily investing in youth in an attempt to build for the future, it seems Maatsen will get plenty of chances over the course of the 23/24 season, having made 2 cameo appearances late on from the subs bench after 3 games played.
Manor Solomon – 167cm – 5ft 5in – Attacking Midfielder – (Tottenham Hotspur/ Israel)
YOB: 1999
Manor Solomon is one of the shortest football players in the English Premier League in the 2022/2023 season. The 24-year-old Israeli Midfielder is just 5ft 5in tall and plays mainly as a central attacking midfielder or left winger.
Solomon joined Tottenham in the summer 2023 transfer window from Shakhtar Donetsk for £15.4 Million, for whom he had been playing for since 2019. Despite his 16 goals in about 70 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk, Manor Solomon lit the Premier League up last season, with 4 curling wonder goals for a competitive Fulham side.
Harvey White – 168cm – 5ft 6in – Midfielder – (Tottenham Hotspur / England)
YOB: 2001
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harvey White stands at just 5 foot 6 inches. The young English midfielder is the shortest player at his club and among the shortest across the entire league. Not only that, he is England’s shortest footballer in the 2023/24 season.
A product of the Tottenham academy, the Englishman has only made two senior appearances for the Lilywhites during the 2020/2021 season. Still, White spent the second half of that season on loan at Portsmouth FC, making 21 appearances and scoring one goal.
The 21-year-old midfielder is yet to play a Premier League game for Tottenham Hotspur. Despite being in the club’s first-team squad for the 2022/2023 season, Harvey White has yet to make an appearance. He made two appearances for England’s U-18 team in 2019.
Andrew Moran – 168cm – 5ft 6in – Midfielder – (Brighton & Hove Albion / Ireland)
YOB: 2003
Ireland’s newest football prodigy, 18-year-old Andrew Moran is one of Brighton & Hove’s cast of diminutive yet agile midfielders. Currently 7th on the 2022/23 shortest football player list, the youngster stands at just 5ft 7in, which has not hampered his progress through the Brighton & Hove academy ranks.
Andrew spent the 2019/2020 season on loan at Bray Wanderers, making three first-team appearances and registering one goal.
The Irishman youth international has not made his debut for the Seagulls yet. However, he has played for all the Republic of Ireland youth teams, from the U15 to the U21, making seven appearances and scoring once.
Julio Enciso – 168cm – 5ft 6in – Striker – (Brighton & Hove Albion / Paraguay)
YOB: 2004
At 5ft 6in, Brighton & Hove Albion star Julio Enciso is not your typical premier league striker. The 18-year-old is, however, one of the most promising attackers in a youthful team at the Amex Stadium. Enciso signed for the Seagulls on 17 June 2022 from Libertad in his native Paraguay.
The attacker, signed for a transfer fee worth £9.5 million, plus future add-on fees, is tied to an initial four-year contract. Julio Enciso made his debut for Brighton debut in August in a 3–0 away win over League One side Forest Green Rovers. Now with 4 goals and 5 assists in 28 games for Brighton, the player looks like a real talent for the future
With 18 goals in 55 games for Libertad, Enciso is an exciting talent to watch at the Amex. He is the youngest player on this list and started playing football professionally at 15 in Paraguay.
Tyrell Malacia – 169cm – 5ft 7in – Left Back – (Manchester United / Netherlands)
YOB: 1999
Signed in the summer of 2022 for 17 million Euros, Malacia still has much to prove for the Red Devils. By no means the first name on the teamsheet, Malacia has played in 39 games for Man United and is yet to register a single goal or assist for the club. Essentially second fiddle to Luke Shaw, the Dutchmen with 9 caps for his national side will no doubt be looking to improve upon a barren spell at the club so far.
With age still on his side, and room to grow, the former Feyenoord man will find himself presented with chances to threaten Luke Shaw’s place in the starting lineup, especially given the Englishmen’s injury record.
Rico Lewis – 169cm – 5ft 7in – Right Back – (Manchester City / England)
YOB: 2004
Just 18 years old, Rico Lewis is one of the hottest English prospects in The Premier League right now. A versatile Right-back that can slot in anywhere across the back 4, and even ply his trade at centre-mid, this young starlet is already a cultured, composed defender. Having already played almost a full match out of Man City’s first 3 games of the 23/34 season, this year is gearing up to be Rico Lewis’ breakthrough season.
The Bury-born teenager has managed 24 first-team appearences as of yet, already having scored his first goal in last season’s campaign.
Raheem Sterling – 170 cm – 5ft 7in – Forward – (Chelsea / England)
YOB: 1994
Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea in August 2022 from Manchester City and rounds off our list as the tenth smallest player in the 2022/23 season. When he made his debut for Liverpool in the 2012/13 season, the nippy winger was the 14th shortest football player of that season.
Throughout his career, the 5ft 7in England international winger Raheem Sterling has maintained an excellent productive streak, recording 158 career goals across 476 professional matches.
The winger has been just as influential with the England national team, for whom he’s made 77 appearances and scored 19 goals.
Who is The Shortest Goalkeeper
This season, that record goes to Matthew Cox of Brentford. The young professional player, who recently signed from AFC Wimbledon, is only 182cm (5ft 11.5in). Brentford FC has big ambitions for this young goalkeeper, as they have signed him on a six-year contract, and seems to have a promising career ahead.
Compared to the tallest goalkeeper in the Premier League, Matthew Cox is 19cm (7.5 inches) shorter than Southampton keeper Fraser Forster who stands at 201cm (6ft 7.1in).
Shortest Soccer Player Playing Center Back
With Lisandro Martinez signing for Manchester United, the Argentinian becomes the shortest centre-back in the 2023 Premier League, standing at 175cm (5ft, 9in). The World Cup winner is nicknamed ‘the Butcher’ for his aggressive style of play and offers composure on the ball.
Several former players suggested that Martinez wouldn’t be able to handle the physicality of Premier League defenders due to his 5ft 9in height.
Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea is three centimetres taller than Lisandro Martinez at 178cm.
Shortest Player In Premier League History
Over the past 30 years, there have only been a total of seven footballers who have held the record for the shortest football player in England’s Premier Division.
The shortest Premier League player was Dexter Lembikisa of Wolverhampton Wanderers, standing at 160cm tall. The young Jamaican has had a growth spurt and now longer holds the claim as the shortest football player.
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Aaron Lennon holds the record for the shortest EPL player for twelve seasons, followed by Alan Hutton with six seasons. Ryan Fraser has reclaimed the title of the shortest soccer player. He held the claim from 2016 to 2020 but lost it for three seasons.
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The Shortest Football Player 100 Years Ago
The smallest footballer in the English First Division (1922/23) was 168cm (5ft 6in). The top ten shortest players were either 168 or 169 centimetres tall. As you can see from the table above, it is very similar to the current breed. This was somewhat different when we analyzed the tallest football player in the EPL compared to one hundred years ago.
Although our shortest football player in the English Premier League list are not renowned for their aerial influence in set pieces, these players certainly have the talent, ability, and quality to compete in the world’s most competitive league.
