Tallest Soccer Players Ever: The Full Ranked List

Peter Crouch once described his own body as looking wrong on a football pitch, and at 6’7” he had a point. But Crouch isn’t even the tallest player to have laced up boots professionally — not close. As of 2026, the tallest soccer players ever recorded stand closer to 6’10”, and eight of the ten biggest frames in the sport’s history belong to goalkeepers, whose entire job rewards a few extra inches of reach.

The tallest soccer players, ranked

Reported heights come from club and federation registrations plus reputable football databases, and figures can vary slightly by source and era.

1. Simon Bloch Jorgensen

Danish goalkeeper Simon Bloch Jorgensen is now the most widely cited answer to “who’s the tallest soccer player ever,” standing roughly 6 ft 10.5 in (210 cm). He never reached the very top flight, spending most of his career in Denmark’s lower divisions and later in England’s non-league system with clubs such as Waltham Abbey. His height became a talking point largely through goalkeeping databases and viral social posts rather than headline transfers, but by the numbers, no confirmed professional has been measured taller.

2. Kristof van Hout

Kristof van Hout was the previous long-standing record-holder and remains the best-documented case: a Belgian goalkeeper at about 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) who built a genuine career in Belgian football, including a Belgian Cup win with Genk in 2012-13, before spells at Standard Liege and Waasland-Beveren. He retired in 2023. Our full tallest goalkeeper breakdown covers his career and the trade-offs of playing at that size in more depth.

3. Tomas Holy

Czech goalkeeper Tomas Holy, at around 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), is generally recognised as the tallest currently active professional footballer. He plays for Carlisle United in England’s League One and has previously featured for Gillingham, where his size made him a novelty story in the FIFA video game community before it translated into real shot-stopping credibility at senior level.

4. Kyle Hudlin

Kyle Hudlin is the rare tall outfield entry on this list: an English striker standing close to 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), making him the tallest active outfield player in professional football. He came through Huddersfield Town’s academy and first team between 2022 and 2025 before moving on, drawing comparisons to Peter Crouch for his aerial threat and, more surprisingly, his composure with the ball at his feet for a player of his size.

5. Costel Pantilimon

Romanian goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon, at roughly 6 ft 8 in (204 cm), remains the tallest player to ever appear in the Premier League. He played for Manchester City, Sunderland, and Watford, using his frame to dominate crosses and set pieces during a decade in English football. Pantilimon’s size made him a physical presence in the penalty area even when he wasn’t first choice at his clubs.

6. Lacina Traore

Ivory Coast striker Lacina Traore stands around 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) and had a career that took him from Monaco to Anzhi Makhachkala, CSKA Moscow, and a loan spell at Everton. Injuries limited how much of his career he spent at his physical peak, but at his best he combined his height with genuine pace, an unusual pairing for a forward his size.

7. Nikola Zigic

Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, at about 6 ft 7 in (202 cm), spent his best Premier League years with Birmingham City, where he helped the club win the 2011 League Cup. Internationally he was a regular for Serbia across more than 100 caps, using his height to win knockdowns and hold up play for smaller, quicker teammates in the way most target men of his size are asked to.

8. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic

Serbian goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, at roughly 6 ft 7 in (202 cm), is one of the tallest keepers to have featured at a World Cup, and the younger brother of midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. He has played for Torino in Serie A and for the Serbian national team, where his reach at crosses and long-range shots has made him a first-choice option for his country.

9. Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch, at around 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), remains the most recognisable name on this list. He built an entire England career, including a run at the 2006 World Cup, around aerial ability and flick-ons, but what set him apart was a touch that didn’t match his frame at all — he could bring midfielders into play and finish with his feet, not just his head. His example is the clearest proof that height only becomes a weapon when paired with real technique — the opposite lesson from our look at the shortest football players to succeed in the pro game, where a low centre of gravity does the work height does here.

10. Thibaut Courtois

Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, at about 6 ft 6 in (200 cm), is the tallest currently active goalkeeper playing at the very top of the game, starting for Real Madrid and Belgium’s national team. He’s proof that extreme height and elite reflexes aren’t mutually exclusive: Courtois is regularly ranked among the world’s best shot-stoppers, not just its tallest.

How we ranked them

This list ranks players by their most widely reported professional playing height, prioritising figures confirmed by club registrations, national federations, or established football databases over unverified claims. Where sources disagreed by a centimetre or two, we used the figure most consistently cited across multiple references. We included both active and retired professionals, weighted toward players with a documented senior career in professional or international football rather than amateur or academy-only figures, and we favoured entries with a genuine playing legacy over height alone. As with any list built on self-reported or club-listed measurements, exact figures can shift slightly between sources and playing eras.