Football players come in many forms and sizes, and this is true even in the sport’s most watched league, the Premier League. While some use their petite size to weave in and out of players and stay afoot in the narrowest of spaces, there’s something strangely beautiful about witnessing an unusually tall footballer perform his duties.
Whether it’s a goalkeeper who can fill the sticks with his large-statured frame, a centre-back who dominates aerial duels, or a striker who is frequently used as an archetypal target man, the tallest players stand out like a sore thumb simply because they tower over everyone else on the pitch.
Many of football’s greatest players, however, were on the shorter end of the height spectrum. Take Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona as examples; yet, being tall has its advantages on the football ground, particularly for individuals who prefer to use their hands rather than feet. This list looks at the 21 tallest players to have ever appeared in a Premier League match, and some great throwback names make the cut.
21Nick Woltemade
198cm
Newcastle United has finally signed a striker following a summer-long search. Eddie Howe has not only signed one of Europe’s most promising young forwards, but also one of its tallest. Nick Woltemade is just under two metres tall and will add to an already physically formidable team.
After impressing in the Under 21s European Championship in the summer, the German appeared ready to join Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich. However, the huge but agile striker has opted to try his hand at English football.
20Wayne Hennessey
198 cm
Wayne Hennessey, one of the greatest Wales goalkeepers in football history, is still a free agency at 38 years old and might yet perform well. The Welsh international has spent the past few years as a backup goalkeeper, first with Burnley and subsequently with Nottingham Forest.
Prior to that, Hennessey was the starting goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers from 2006 to 2014, and Crystal Palace from 2014 to 2021, where he helped the latter reach the FA Cup final. He is one of the Premier League’s tallest shot-stoppers, standing at nearly two metres.
19Kristoffer Ajer
198 cm
Kristoffer Ajer first gained recognition in Europe when playing for Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, where he won three Scottish Premiership titles before going south of the border to join the west London-based club in 2021.
The Norwegian, 27, has had his fair share of injury issues since then, but when he is healthy and ready to go, he has proven himself a solid Premier League alternative, making good use of his height in a squad that relies heavily on set pieces and throw-ins. He’s also strong defensively, using his size to tower over the opposition.
18Asmir Begovic
199 cm
Asmir Begovic made his English football debut with Portsmouth in 2005, but spent the next five years on loan until joining Stoke City in 2010, where he established himself as a first-choice goalkeeper. Surprisingly, he is best known for scoring one of the longest goals in Premier League history.
In fact, Croatia-born Begovic famously scored from his own box against Bolton Wanderers for the Potters before joining Chelsea in 2015, when he went on to win the Premier League title. Begovic had stints with Bournemouth, Everton, and QPR before joining Leicester City as a backup goalkeeper.
17Jannik Vestergaard
199 cm
After establishing himself in the Bundesliga, Jannik Vestergaard went to England in 2018, joining Southampton under manager Ralph Hassenhuttl. Over the next three years, Vestergaard, who measures just under two metres tall, established himself as an intimidating defender, prompting Leicester City to make a move for him in 2021.
Despite his strained relationship with former manager Brendan Rodgers, Vestergaard remained with the club following their relegation and was a key member of the team that earned instant promotion back to the Premier League. The 33-year-old Danish international is currently playing for the Foxes in the Championship despite having 51 caps.
16Sasa Kalajdzic
200 cm
After signing a contract in the summer of 2022, the Austrian’s Premier League career did not take off. Wolverhampton Wanderers offered the large-statured frontman a five-year contract in an effort to address their goal-scoring issues. Instead, on his debut in September, Sasa Kalajdzic sustained a season-ending ACL injury after only 45 minutes for the Old Gold.
If the striker felt he had left that problem behind him, he was gravely incorrect. Kalajdzic got another knee injury while on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt in February 2024, his third major problem with the knee. Wolves fans will be hoping that he can overcome another major setback and fully realise his potential on the football. Fans are excitedly waiting for the day when they may take advantage of his height.
15Thibaut Courtois
200 cm
Thibaut Courtois, a Premier League great, established himself as one of contemporary football’s best goalkeepers while at Chelsea. Standing at 200 cm, his towering silhouette between the sticks was enough to intimidate even the best strikers in west London.
Even better, the imposing Belgian continues to use his height to his advantage with Real Madrid, commanding incoming set pieces and decreasing angles for strikers to shoot at. When he hangs up his gloves, he will be regarded as one of the best in the world, alongside Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon, and not because of his height. The huge Belgian has seen it all at club level, including winning the Champions League with Los Blancos.
14Dan Burn
201 cm
Dan Burn, a Newcastle native and member of the Premier League’s tallest XI, was a key component of Eddie Howe’s success on Tyneside, particularly their return to the Champions League for the 2023/2024 season. The 33-year-old experienced the ups and downs of English football before being given the opportunity to compete at the top level, having previously played for Darlington, Yeovil, and Wigan.
After spending the bulk of his career as a centre-back, he switched to left-back under Graham Potter’s watchful eye at Brighton & Hove Albion, and the role transition has continued after his move to Tyneside. A menace on both ends of the play, his style captures far more of what it means to be a footballer, given his defensive prowess and overly calm ball control. After a successful 2024/2025 season, the defender won his first professional trophy when he led the Magpies to a Carabao Cup victory. He is now an England international.
13Fraser Forster
201 cm
Despite falling out of favour with Tottenham Hotspur following the signing of Guglielmo Vicario in the summer of 2023, Fraser Forster has played 155 Premier League games for both Spurs and Southampton. Throughout his career, the six-cap Englishman has failed to establish himself as a consistent starter at a top club, albeit he had the majority of his success in Scotland with Celtic, where he won four league crowns and three Scottish Cup wins.
While things may not have gone smoothly for the 37-year-old in England’s top division, there’s no denying that he’s a competent goalkeeper, and one of the tallest at 201 cm. Forster is currently without a club after leaving Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024.
12Paul Onuachu
201 cm
After signing Turkish Süper Lig team Trabzonspor this summer, Paul Onuachu, who stands 201 cm tall, failed to impress England when he joined Southampton in January 2023. Making his debut for the club in February of their relegation season, he failed to duplicate the prolific form he demonstrated for Gent, with transfer source Dean Jones earlier told GIVEMESPORT that Onuachu’s status in England was ‘confusing’.
The Nigerian clearly had more to contribute and attempted to stamp his authority in England’s top flight last season as the Saints returned, but the campaign was fraught with difficulties for the Saints, who were down again, and Onuachu has since left.
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