The Tallest Players In Premier League History

Height is a massive advantage for any player, especially in a league as physical as the Premier League. Whether we’re talking about goalkeepers or dominant centre-backs, the tallest players are able to benefit in crucial moments.

Keepers can control their penalty area, coming out to collect crosses before sparking a counter attack, while imposing central defenders can bully opposing strikers off the ball.

At the other end of the pitch, we’ve seen plenty of target men thrive over the years. Peter Crouch is the obvious one, and his ability to win the first header gave his teammates a reliable figure in the final third.

Here, we look at the tallest players to grace the Premier League. Some enjoyed greater levels of success than others but all five made their mark on English football in some way.

5) Stefan Maierhofer – 202 cm

Stefan Maierhofer made just nine Premier League appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring his only goal in a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on his debut for the club.

Wolves agreed a deal worth £1.8 million to sign the Austrian star from Rapid Vienna but he failed to live up to the hype at Molineux and he quickly found himself out on loan.

He left Wolves in 2011 after a string of disappointing loan spells and it would be fair to say that his height worked against him throughout the second half of his career, with managers often throwing him on as a late substitute in a bid to wreak havoc.

4) Nikola Zigic – 202 cm

Nikola Zigic had a lofty reputation when he joined Birmingham City in 2010 despite an underwhelming few years with Valencia. The Serbian international had enjoyed plenty of success in front of goal at Red Star Belgrade and Alex McLeish decided to take a chance on him.

What a decision that turned out to be! While he was unable to keep Birmingham in the topflight of English football, he notched 32 goals in 128 games for the club – including his most important of all in the 2011 League Cup final.

Zigic sent Birmingham on their way against the mighty Arsenal, heading in from close range to give the Blues a first half lead. While he was substituted late in injury time, he’d played a crucial role in Birmingham’s first League Cup win since 1962/63.

3) Peter Crouch – 202 cm

“He’s big, he’s red, his feet stick out the bed, Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch” might not be the most inventive chant ever heard in English football, but it certainly received plenty of airtime as the 6 foot 7 striker racked up close to 470 Premier League appearances in his career.

As of April 2024, Crouch remains the all-time leader in headed goals in England’s topflight during the modern era. With a total of 108 Premier League goals and 40 England caps, he was so much more than the architectural target man.

He had nifty footwork for a player of his size and he scored several world class goals for club and country. Adored by fans across the nation, Crouchy had the personality to match his stature.

2) Lacina Traore – 203 cm

From a player with close to 470 Premier League games on his CV to one with less than five minutes of top flight football, Lacina Traore’s Everton career was over in the blink of an eye.

Nicknamed the ‘Big Tree’, the Ivory Coast forward attracted attention after impressing at CFR Cluj but a big money move to Monaco turned sour and he was shipped off on loan to a range of clubs across the continent.

His goal-scoring record was pretty good in his early years but the move to the south of France really seemed to impact his confidence and he was never the same after that.

1) Costel Pantilimon – 203 cm

Taking top spot in this list of Premier League giants is Costel Pantilimon. The Romanian international was a huge figure between the posts, standing at 6 foot 8 inches tall and he was the utmost professional in his role as backup goalkeeper for Manchester City.

He was in goal for City’s League Cup final triumph over Sunderland in 2014, obviously impressing the northeast side as he earned a move there shortly after.

Pantilimon recorded 17 clean sheets in 54 Premier League outings, making 203 saves and helping to keep Sunderland in the topflight. He left for Watford in January 2016 and the Black Cats were relegated just 15 months later.