Top 10 strongest football players to ever play the game

Top 10 strongest football players to ever play the game

Kevin Omuya
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:21 PM

Soccer is a demanding sport that necessitates fitness because it calls for talent, strength, and a great deal of practice time; as a result, players do their best to maintain adequate levels of physical fitness. We will highlight a few athletes who have earned a reputation for excellence in football through their amazing strength.

Top 10 strongest football players
Adebayo Akinfenwa of Northampton Town in action during the Coca-Cola League One Match against Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road on March 29, 2008, in Cheltenham, England. Photo: Pete Norton
Source: Getty Images

As strength is subjective, ranking the strongest football players is challenging. A player's strength can come from various sources, including their ability to carry heavy objects or dominance on the field. Here are the top 10 strongest football players in the world.

Top 10 strongest football players

10. Christian Benteke

Top 10 strongest football players
Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Burnley and Crystal Palace at Turf Moor on November 20, 2021, in Burnley, England. Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt
Source: Getty Images

A striker for both D.C. United of Major League Soccer and the Belgian national team, Christian Benteke Lilo hails from the small Belgian town of Liège. Benteke started his professional career with Standard Liège, where he helped them win the Belgian First Division in 2008–09.

He is a solid Belgian who has made his name in the football world due to his strength and physical fitness. He plays excellent football and knows how and where to go attacking with the mission of thumping down the rivals.

The Belgian is an absolute physical marvel who appears to feed off the chance to impose his will in the attacking third. Even if his performance has dipped this season, he is still a significant concern in the attacking third because it is difficult to stop him once he gets going.

9. Micah Richards

Top 10 strongest football players in the world
Micah Richards of Aston Villa during the pre-season friendly match between Shrewsbury Town and Aston Villa at Greenhous Meadow on July 15, 2017, in Shrewsbury, England. Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt
Source: Getty Images

Former English footballer Micah Lincoln Richards now works as a sports commentator for Sky Sports and BBC Sport and represents Manchester City as an ambassador. A right back in his playing days, he suited up for Manchester City and Aston Villa in the Premier League and English Football League, and Fiorentina in Serie A.

Micah Richards exploded onto the scene as a youngster with a well-rounded skill set and established physical form that allowed him to have substantial impact.

8. Didier Drogba

Strongest football players of all time
Chelsea's Didier Drogba celebrates scoring a goal. Photo: Adam Davy
Source: Getty Images

Former Ivorian professional football striker Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is retired. When he played for the Ivory Coast national team, he became their all-time leading scorer and captain.

Didier Drogba, at his best, led Chelsea's assault like a cannonball, launching himself with all of his considerable bulk to significant effect from free kicks and other set-piece situations. The Ivorian was a pioneering representative of a new school of No. 9 players who melded tremendous raw power with savvy tactical awareness.

7. Romelu Lukaku

The strongest football players
Romelu Lukaku of FC Internazionale gesture during the FC Internazionale training session at Suning Training Center on December 16, 2022, in Como, Italy. Photo: Mattia Ozbot
Source: Getty Images

Belgium international and professional footballer Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli plays as a striker for Inter Milan in the Serie. Lukaku, having left Chelsea to go to Inter on loan, is still learning to make the most of his great bulk.

6. Yaya Toure

Strongest football players
Manchester City's Yaya Toure celebrates scoring during the EPL football match against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north-west England, on March 5, 2016. Photo: Paul Ellis
Source: Getty Images

Toure is a former midfielder who played for Manchester City and the Ivorian national team. He was known for his strength and powerful shot.

In recent seasons, Toure was a raging bull as a Premier League midfielder. A towering figure with superb technique, he set the standard for central midfielders everywhere.

5. Chris Samba

Top 10 strongest football players
Aston Villa's Christopher Samba during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Hull City at Villa Park on August 5, 2017, in Birmingham, England. Photo: Andrew Kearns
Source: Getty Images

Former professional football defender Christopher Samba, although a French native, represented Congo on the international soccer scene. During his five years with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, Samba played 161 league games and scored 16 goals.

Chris Samba was a pillar of Blackburn throughout his time there. He was a formidable barrier defense at Queens Park Rangers, even if it seemed to be tumbling down during his last Premier League stint.

Samba is still a mountain of a man who towers over most people. He was excellent at knocking other people off the ball. With an average weight of 100 kg, he was as solid as the Premier League had ever seen.

4. Victor Wanyama

Top 10 strongest football players in the world
CF Montréal midfielder Victor Wanyama controls the ball during an MLS game against FC Cincinnati on April 2, 2022, at QTL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Photo: Joe Robbins
Source: Getty Images

CF Montréal's Kenyan defensive midfielder Victor Mugubi Wanyama is a professional footballer. When Wanyama scored the opening goal for Celtic in their 2-1 victory over Barcelona on November 7, 2012, he made history as the first Kenyan player to score in the UEFA Champions League. He stands well over six feet tall and has the width of a standard two-door refrigerator/freezer.

3. George Elokobi

Strongest football players of all time
George Elokobi of Nottingham Forest celebrates after the Championship match Vs. Birmingham City at St Andrew's Stadium on February 25, 2012, in Birmingham, England. Photo: Jan Kruger
Source: Getty Images

Ex-professional football defender from Cameroon, George Nganyuo Elokobi, left Cameroon for England when he was 16 and immediately signed with non-League club Dulwich Hamlet. His trial with Colchester United was successful, and he was signed afterward.

The left-back position was perfect for the little, weedy kid who lacks the size necessary to play elsewhere but makes up for it with speed. George Elokobi disproves the stereotype that men his height can carry 90 kg of pure muscle at just 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The left-back fullback is almost as wide as he is tall. When they play against him, opponents generally know they have "been in a game", to use a footballing idiom.

2. Danny Shittu

The most strongest football players
Millwall's Dan Shittu during an English Football League Championship game. Photo: Nick Potts
Source: Getty Images

Originally from Nigeria, former professional footballer Daniel Olusola Shittu was born on September 2, 1980. He primarily played central defense. With Queens Park Rangers alone, he played 346 times in the Premier League and Football League.

At the Premier League level, his defense was a force to be reckoned.

1. Adebayo Akinfenwa

Strongest football players
Adebayo Akinfenwa of Wycombe Wanderers after the final match Vs. Sunderland at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2022, in London, England. Photo: Justin Setterfield
Source: Getty Images

Saheed Adebayo Akinfenwa is a former English striker. Akinfenwa made his professional debut with Doncaster Rovers after playing in England's lower divisions and abroad in Lithuania, and Wale. He is the first among the top 10 strongest football players.

Nicknamed "The Beast," Akinfenwa is a professional striker known for his physical strength and ability to hold off defenders. Akinfenwa is a seasoned pro who has tormented several opponents in the English lower leagues.

There have been many strong and physically impressive football players throughout history. Adebayo Akinfenwa still tops the list of the strongest football players of all time.

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Kevin Omuya photo
Kevin Omuya
Kevin Omuya is a Content Writer with 4 years of experience who joined Sports Brief in 2022. In 2019 he held a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Digital Media from KCA University.