Here are the average heights for each position based on the best players in the world (players participating in the FIFA World Cup 2018)
| Position | Average Height |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | 188cm (6‘2“) |
| Defender | 183cm (6‘0“) |
| Midfielder | 180cm (5‘11“) |
| Striker | 181cm (5‘11“) |
Soccer is, and should always be, a game for everyone. Regardless of age, race, nationality, sex, size, or shape, everyone can and should be able to play soccer.
Having said that, for those who wish to take their game to new heights (forgive the pun) there are certain advantages to being a particular stature.
Not all positions require it, but some certainly benefit from having players that have some height advantage, and to some extent, there are some areas where it simply does not matter.
While you can, and should play whatever position you favor the most, regardless of your stature or body shape, there are positions that should you find yourself to be better than the average player, you may wish to think about your height as a tool in your armory.
Bear in mind that as of 2020 the average height of a male is around 1.75 meters, soccer players as a rule of thumb are generally a bit taller than this.
As a player, you have the option of being a goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder, a winger, or a striker.
If you think of a pitch as an hourglass, a wide base narrowing in the middle and then widening out again, this could be a rough guide for the height requirements for a professional soccer player.
Let’s work through the team from the back, and see where height really does matter.
Goalkeeper
- Average Height: 188cm (6‘2“)
The first and last line of defense for your team, and arguably the most important, your goalkeeper needs to be commanding, powerful, and agile.
They also need to be tall, it is rare to find a world-class goalie that is under 1.9 meters tall, having to leap for the ball, dive for shots, and generally make themselves as big as possible counts.
In junior soccer, the nets are smaller and lower, so the height issue rarely becomes a massive issue, however, many youth keepers have had their dreams dashed by not growing into the tall player they were hoping to be.
Skill is vital as a goalkeeper, but to succeed at the highest levels, especially against giant strikers on the prowl for a headed goal, height, jumping reach, and arm span all matter.
The average height over the past 10 years in the top European leagues has been at least 1.89 meters, there are exceptions to this, but as a rule, top teams pay by the meter.
Defender
- Average Height: 183cm (6‘0“)
Defenders, especially central defenders, need height in order to clear the area of high crosses. Set pieces need players that can get up for a ball, and just as importantly, beat the attacker to the ball too.
There is a grey area here in that there are, and always have been, great defenders that aren’t that tall. Pace, reading of the game, and an ability to tackle all make a great defender. But add height to that, and you may have a world-beater. Realistically, 1.85 meters should be the minimum height here.
Wing-back, another defensive position, is less reliant on height than center-back, with a focus on pace, passing, and skill to get out of trouble.
And with the modern game focussing on wing-backs bombing up the field and overlapping with the wingers, height is even less of a pre-requisite.
As with central defense, additional height is always welcome, but if you have the skill, height, like age, is no barrier to entry.
While there is obviously a lower limit of around 1.75 meters tall generally, there is certainly no upper limit for wing-back height. If your tall wing-back can come into the area for both defensive headers as well as go forward as an attacking threat in the opponent area, they will be invaluable.
Midfielder
- Average Height: 180cm (5‘11“)
Central midfield, the pinch point of our hourglass, has very few issues with players of smaller stature.
Barcelona under Pep Guardiola from 2008-2012 had a midfield of Lionel Messi (1.7m), Xavi (1.7m), and Andres Iniesta (1.7m), and this trio are arguably the three greatest midfielders of all time.
The key to midfield is skill, intelligence, and work rate, height is ultimately irrelevant. Again, as with any other position, if you have the height, use it, but in central midfield, you can dominate with the ball at your feet.
There is even the argument that being smaller can help a player these days when playing in midfield. The onus on fast, technical play means that a nimble midfielder that can slip by an opponent has the advantage.
Strikers
- Average Height: 181cm (5‘11“)
And height matters again. To a certain extent anyway, who should be on the end of the great crosses from your diminutive yet skillful wingers?
That’s right, a giant center-forward who can power headers into the net for your team. With an average height of at least 1.81m, your striker should be agile and able to play with the ball at their feet and in the air.
Many great teams over the years have played with two strikers up front, a large target man and a smaller, faster player running onto the ball knocked down by the target man. With this in mind, tactics come into play for height requirements.
If you do play with wingers and plan to cross the ball often, a tall striker is a must, they need to be able to take their chances against, as we have already determined, a tall defense.
If you play the ball through the middle of the park and aim to play through balls through to a pacy striker that is good on the ball, then the players’ height is less advantageous than pace and skill.
As with many other positions, height is always welcome, a 6 foot tall pacy, technical player is great, they can deal with any type of ball, but if you play cross after cross to your 1.7m tall target man, prepare for disappointments.
How Tall Are The Greatest Players of All Time?
When talking about the ideal height for a soccer player, you need to look at the heights of the greatest players of all time.
So, here’s a full list of the 20 greatest players of all time‘s height.
| Player | Height |
|---|---|
| 20. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 1.95m (6‘5“) |
| 19. Kylian Mbappe | 1.78m (5‘10“) |
| 18. Robert Lewandowski | 1.85m (6‘1“) |
| 17. Marco Van Basten | 1.88m (6‘2“) |
| 16. Eusebio | 1.75m (5‘9“) |
| 15. George Best | 1.75m (5‘9“) |
| 14. Xavi | 1.70m (5‘7“) |
| 13. Maldini | 1.86m (6‘1“) |
| 12. Iniesta | 1.70m (5‘7“) |
| 11. Neymar | 1.75m (5‘9“) |
| 10. Thierry Henry | 1.88m (6‘2“) |
| 9. Ronaldinho | 1.82m (6‘0“) |
| 8. Ronaldo (R9) | 1.82m (6‘0“) |
| 7. Franz Beckenbauer | 1.81m (5‘11“) |
| 6. Johan Cruyff | 1.78m (5‘10“) |
| 5. Zinedine Zidane | 1.85m (6‘1“) |
| 4. Pele | 1.73m (5‘8“) |
| 3. Maradona | 1.65m (5‘5“) |
| 2. Cristiano Ronaldo | 1.87m (6‘2“) |
| 1. Lionel Messi | 1.70m (5‘7“) |
Based on this list, the average height among the 20 greatest players of all time is 179.4cm (5‘10“).
With that said, the main takeaway from this list is that players with all heights can succeed. From the tall Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the short and greatest player of all time – Lionel Messi. All heights have a chance to succeed in this sport.
It’s all about adapting your play style to your height. Shorter players will be more agile and better at dribbling, while the taller guys will be stronger and better in the air.
So, How Tall Do You Need To Be?
In the Premier League, the average height is 5′ 11.9″ (182.6cm), which is slightly taller than the average in England. However, being taller doesn’t mean better in the Premier League – the arguably best team in the league Manchester City – is also the shortest with an average height of 5′ 11.2″ (180.8cm).
The hottest prospect in world soccer at present is Erling Haaland, the Borussia Dortmund striker. He is a complete center-forward that has pace, power, and an unerring eye for goal. He stands at 1.94m tall, and though tall enough to be a target man, very rarely scores with his head.
A technically superb player, regardless of his height advantage, Haalands’ game is based on skill and a lethal shot.
So while height is a welcome addition to most soccer players’ attributes, apart from certain positions, height is not the necessary weapon it once was.
A top defender should usually stand at around 1.8m tall or more, goalkeepers at least 1.85, and preferably taller.
A faster and more technical modern game has seen a definite drift towards skill, team cohesion, and talent, and because of this midfielders and wingers have no real height restrictions.
The taller a striker the better, but the tactics you employ will have a bearing on whether that allows you to be more successful or not.
So no matter how tall you are, you too could be the next Lionel Messi or the next Erling Haaland, but maybe not the next Manuel Neuer.
