The Tallest Players In Premier League History

The tallest player in Premier League history is Kjell Scherpen at 206cm/6ft 9in and William Hill News look back through some of the giants to grace England’s top flight over the years.

Towering keepers and centre-halves have always had a built-in edge in England’s top flight, but giant strikers have also carved out a niche, with some charting as having scored the most headed goals.

Nottingham Forest’s Lorenzo Lucca joins the 2025/26 conversation as one of the tallest active names, while Dan Burn, Kristoffer Ajer, and Nikola Milenković remain key reference points for height across the league.

Currently the tallest player in the Premier League (2025/26)

Lorenzo Lucca is one of the standout giants in the 2025/26 Premier League, with a listed height of 201cm/6ft 7in at current club Nottingham Forest. That puts him level with Peter Crouch and Dan Burn, and just below the very tallest players in league history. Forest’s habit of adding size to the squad is obvious when you line Lucca up alongside Carlos Miguel and Nikola Milenković.

Dan Burn remains the tallest regular outfield presence most fans will immediately recognise in the division, and his 201cm frame continues to make him a threat at both ends of the pitch. Kristoffer Ajer’s 198cm build gives Brentford another aerial weapon, while Nikola Milenković’s 195cm height still makes him a sizeable Premier League defender at Nottingham Forest.

While you won’t find any particularly tall players in the all time goals list, you will often see these outfield titans nod in a fair few goals by creating mismatches in opposition areas.

Tallest goalkeeper in Premier League history

Costel Pantilimon stands at 203cm/6ft 8in and is the tallest goalkeeper to make a Premier League impact. Naturally, height is a huge advantage for this position, so the Romanian had a lot of inherent appeal. He played for Manchester City, Sunderland, and Watford. His Sunderland spell delivered 17 clean sheets in 54 league appearances, plus 203 saves.

Carlos Miguel is the tallest current goalkeeper in the conversation at 204cm/6ft 8in, but Pantilimon remains the benchmark for Premier League history because he turned his size into reliable top-flight minutes rather than just a squad-note curiosity.

Tallest defender in Premier League history

Dan Burn is the tallest defender to establish himself as a Premier League regular, listed at 201cm/6ft 7in and currently with Newcastle United. His height matters in both boxes, but his value goes beyond headers and set-piece defending because he has also held down a role on the left side of defence for Newcastle and, earlier, Brighton.

Nikola Milenković sits a little below Burn at 195cm/6ft 5in, yet still gives Nottingham Forest a major aerial presence in 2025/26. Kristoffer Ajer, at 198cm/6ft 6in, offers Brentford a similar profile in a side that leans heavily on physical duels and set-piece situations.

Tallest striker in Premier League history

Peter Crouch remains the definitive tall striker in Premier League history, standing at 201cm/6ft 7in. He scored 108 Premier League goals and, as of April 2024, remained the modern-era record holder for headed goals in England’s top flight with 53. The man with the famous robot celebration used a blend of aerial dominance and technical ability to make him far more than a classic target man.

Nikola Žigić and Stefan Maierhofer also fit the old-school giant-forward mould, both listed at 202cm/6ft 8in. Žigić’s Birmingham career is still remembered most for his header in the 2011 League Cup final against Arsenal, while Maierhofer’s Premier League story was brief but memorable enough to earn him a place on any serious height ranking.

Why height matters in football

Height changes the way a team attacks and defends set pieces, especially in a league built on physical duels and repeated delivery into crowded areas. Taller players can win first contacts, clear danger, protect the keeper, and create obvious mismatches at corners and free-kicks, but height alone never solves the football part of the job.

The best examples in Premier League history used their frame as an advantage, not a substitute for timing, balance, or technique, which is why it’s not just very tall players among the top headed goals list.