Short goalkeepers: A ranked list of 10 of the shortest goalkeepers to ever play football

When it comes to goalkeeping, height has always been a critical topic since players are required to jump and stretch as far as they can to reach the ball. Although it is an advantage for a goalie to be taller, short goalkeepers have also proven to be the best in the position as much as the taller ones since they compensate for their lack of height with their incredible speed, leaping ability and athleticism.

Legends such as Iker Casillas, Viktor Valdez, David Ospina, Dino Zoff, and Chelsea’s Peter Bonetti made history in football despite their short stature and are now regarded as the greatest of all time.

Top 10 short goalkeepers in soccer history

By enhancing their hoping ability, reflexes, positioning, and decision-making, short goalies have made names for themselves while maintaining clean sheets for their teams. According to various online sources, here is a ranked list of 10 of the shortest goalkeepers in soccer history.

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10. Juan Luque de Serrallonga

• Height: 5 feet 6.5 inches or 169 centimetres
• Age: Died at 85
• Nationality: Spain

The Spanish legend spent his career at Cadiz CF, and due to his lack of height, he was nicknamed Juanito Luque. In July 1928, he moved to Mexico to become the head coach of the Mexican National team during the 1930 FIFA World Cup.

9. Yazid Yasin

• Height: 5 feet 6.5 inches or 169 centimetres
• Age: 44 years of age (as of September 2023)
• Nationality: Singapore

Yazid is among the few legends in history who have bagged every title in Singapore’s top-tier league, the S League. In 2000, he won the Singapore Cup against Home United; in 2009, he won it against Geylang United.

In his career, he made one international appearance while playing for the Lions in a friendly match against a New Zealand club, All Whites.

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8. Jesús Bermúdez

• Height: 5 feet 6.5 inches or 169 centimetres
• Nationality: Bolivia
• Age: Died at 43

Bermúdez went down in history as one of the best short goalkeepers to ever play football. He was a starting goalkeeper for Bolivia in the World Cup and a member of the country’s national team participating in the 1930 Soccer World Cup.

Additionally, he participated in the 1926 and 1927 South American Championships, representing his nation. His fame skyrocketed during the national championships departmental teams when he defended the Oruro fence.

7. Hong Deok-young

• Height: 5 feet 6.5 inches or 169 centimetres
• Nationality: South Korean
• Age: Died at 79

South Korean former footballer Hong Deok-young is one of the shortest goalkeepers as of 2023 who have been inducted into the Korean Football Hall of Fame. He made his international debut as the first South Korean to be capped in the 1954 World Cup.

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6. Jorge Campos

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches or 168 centimetres
• Nationality: Mexico
• Age: 56 years of age (as of September 2023)

Jorge is one of the best shortest goalkeepers alive today. Compared to other goalkeepers of his stature, none has made an impact like him. He was in the starting lineup in two FIFA World Cups, 1994 and 1998, representing his nation.

With his acrobatic goalkeeping style, constant playing out of the penalty area, and colourful attire, Jorge will live on in the memories of his fans as the greatest of all time despite his lack of height.

He mainly capitalised on speed, leaping ability and athleticism as his main strengths to compensate for his diminutive height. Aside from that, Jorge could also play as a striker due to his highly versatile nature.

5. Angelo Martino Colombo

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches or 168 centimetres
• Nationality: Italy
• Age: Died at 78

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Angelo was one of the best short goalkeepers of his time. While playing for Juventus, he won the Serie A championship title during the 1966/67 season. In his career, he made 412 club appearances despite his height and went down in history as an all-time great.

4. Francesco Quintini

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches or 168 centimetres
• Nationality: Italy
• Age: 71 years of age (as of September 2023)

Francesco went down in history as one of the shortest goalkeepers to ever debut in Serie A. He won numerous awards and titles in his career, such as the Anglo-Italian Cup with Roma in 1972. He played for Roma for four seasons and made nine appearances.

3. Julien Darui

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches or 168 centimetres
• Nationality: French
• Age: Died at 70

Julien Darui was one of the best short goalkeepers who made history playing for France. L’Equipe elected him as the best goalkeeper in the nation in 1999. Originally, the renowned player came to France from Luxembourg and made 25 appearances for his country.

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2. Tarmizi Johari

• Height: 5 feet 5 inches or 166 centimetres
• Nationality: Brunei
• Age: 39 years of age (as of September 2023)

Johari is one of the shortest goalkeepers alive today. He made his appearances with club Brunei in 2014 and was among the squad members who represented his nation during the 2018 World Cup in a match against Chinese Taipei in 2015.

The renowned legend became a regular for the Wasps and debuted at the AFC Solidarity Cup held in Malaysia. In 2018, he was selected for the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifications.

1. Pedro Benítez

• Height: 5 feet 5 inches or 166 centimetres
• Nationality: Paraguay
• Age: Died at 73

At 166 centimetres, Pedro is the shortest goalkeeper to ever play football. The Paraguayan national was in the 1930 FIFA World Cup squad representing his country in Uruguay. At his peak, Benitez made nine appearances for Club Atletico Atlanta in the Argentinean top-tier league and was considered the shortest goalkeeper of all time.

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Top 5 short goalkeepers in FIFA 23

Who is the shortest goalkeeper in FIFA 23? FIFA is a soccer video game published and developed by EA Sports annually. The top 5 current short goalkeepers in the soccer video game are:

• 5. Abraham Rodriguez standing at 175 centimetres
• 4. Mohammad Nawaz standing at 174 centimetres
• 3. Lalbiakhlua Jongte standing at 174 centimetres
• 2. Arsh Shaikh standing at 170 centimetres
• 1. Aditya Patra standing at 168 centimetres

Who is the shortest goalkeeper in FIFA 22?

In FIFA 22, Aditya Patra is the shortest goalkeeper, standing at just 168 centimetres. Coming in the second position is Arsh Shaikh from ATK Mohun, with a height of 170 centimetres.

Can goalkeepers wear short sleeves?

In the past, it was a norm for goalkeepers to wear long sleeves with a glove, but with time, several goalkeepers, such as Gianluigi Buffon, have been known to wear short sleeves. However, for a goalie to wear a short sleeve, they must wear it with gloves.

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Who is the shortest female professional goalkeeper?

As of 2023, several short female goalkeepers have made appearances for several clubs and countries. However, the shortest among them is Kerly Theus from Haiti, whose height is 5 feet and 4 inches or 162 centimetres.

What is the minimum height to be a goalkeeper?

There is no minimum or maximum height to be a soccer goalkeeper since it all goes down to the skills and traits of an individual.

Can short goalkeepers make it pro?

Most short goalkeepers have made it pro, such as Iker Casillas and David Ospina, and thus, depending on their skills, such as being fast and flexible, they have gone down in history as all-time legends.

Soccer has seen its share of short goalkeepers who have made history in the sport. From Pedro Benitez to Fabien Barthez, these legends have proved that height is not a factor to consider while selecting a goalie. Surprisingly, although they lack height, these legends defied the odds and secured their spot in soccer history.

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