Hawaiian tourism is back in full force after experiencing a steep dip in its total visitor count between 2020 and early 2021. For all of 2022, a total of 9,247,848 visitors arrived…
One thing about soccer is that a player does not necessarily have to be tall to be the star in the game. In fact, some of the most successful players in soccer history have been 5’7″ or even shorter.
While there might be shorter players out there, this list is limited to players who suited up for higher-level teams at some point. What is remarkable is that some of these guys still succeeded at the highest level despite going up against bigger opponents every night. So, who are the 15 shortest soccer players of all time?
1. Diego Maradona – 165 cm
The death of Diego Maradona from a heart attack has shocked the world. He was one of the legendary football players from Argentina. After quitting as an athlete, Diego Maradona switched professions as a manager. Because of his respect, his name was immortalized as the name of the stadium of Napoli, Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
The player who is famous for his God’s Hand Goal has a short body and is a bit chubby. Even so, Maradona has agile dribbling. Against players who have a tall body, Maradona has no problems. Precisely with his short body, he can even dodge quickly.
2. Levi Porter – 160 cm
European players are known to have the characteristics of a tall body and strong physique. Levi Roger Porter or commonly known as Levi Porter only has a height of 160 cm.
Levi Porter is one of the original products of the Leicester City youth academy. He had defended England for the U-16 and U-17 categories in early 2000. Levi Porter has a position as a left wing. In the 2018-2019 season, Levi Porter played for Shepshed Dynamo. July 2020, Levi Porter decided to retire.
3. Maximiliano Moralez – 160 cm
On the gridiron, underestimating the opponent becomes one step closer to defeat. When competing, a football player must be aware of his opponent no matter what the conditions are. Maybe the opponent has a short body, but if they have entered the professional level, it means that the player is not just a random player.
Take Maximiliano Moralez for example. This Argentinian player only has a height of 160 cm but he is not a random footballer. Playing as an attacking midfielder for the New York City FC team, he has played 158 games and scored 26 goals. He was an important player for the Argentina U-20 national team in 2007. He managed to bring Argentina to the World Cup and played alongside Sergio Aguero and Mauro Zarate.
4. Madson Formagini Caridade – 160 cm
When it comes to Brazilian players, most soccer players from the Samba country have good ball skills. Figures that cannot be forgotten like Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. All of them have incredible dribbling skills. There is one more player from Brazil who also has good dribbling skills named Madson Formagini Caridade.
People may underestimate him since he only has a height of 160 cm. But remember, Brazilian players have great dribbling skills, Madson too. Madson has a position as an attacking midfielder. He is known as a fast player and has a deadly free kick. Unfortunately, his bad attitude made his name sink.
5. Samuel Peter Lee – 157 cm
Liverpool is one of the most successful English football clubs in recent years thanks to manager Jurgen Klopp. Klopp managed to restore Liverpool’s popularity when he managed to break the title fast for 30 years. Talking about Liverpool, this football club has many legendary players. It is not Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, or Kevin Keegan who will be discussed, but the figure of Samuel Lee.
Samuel Peter Lee is an English midfielder who played for Liverpool from 1976 to 1986. What’s unique about Samuel Lee is that his body is relatively short for a midfielder, which is 157 cm. But he was never afraid to face any opponent. When following the European Cup in 1980-1981. Samuel Lee was assigned to oversee the movement of Bayern Munich player named Paul Breitner. Paul Breitner who has a height of 176 cm was bothered by Samuel Lee.
6. Benedict Vilakazi – 157 cm
Short body may be a shortage of a football athlete, but of course there are other positive things that can be found from the football player. Benedict Vilakazi may be short, but he developed other things to become a great football athlete. Moreover, his position is as a midfielder, so it is important for him to hone other skills so that he does not lose.
This South African player only has a height of 157 cm. For a midfielder, this is clearly an obstacle because he could be the weak point of the team he is defending. Vilakazki points out that his short stature doesn’t make him weak. He has a strong physique and leadership that earned him the nickname Little Napoleon.
The thing that made his career ruined because he was involved with a sex scandal in 2006. He was accused of rape. Despite being acquitted of accusations, Vilakazi’s career has never been the same as it used to be.
7. Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari – 155 cm
Not many people glance at Qatar because it does not have strong football roots. But when this country has entered a football tournament, its presence cannot be underestimated. There is one football player from Qatar who may never be forgotten by Qataris. He is Jafar Rashed Al Kuwari.
Jafar Rashed Al Kuwari who played in the midfield position had defended the Qatar national team from 1992-2002. The only club he has played for is Al Sadd from 1990-2009. In the Qatar national team, Jafar Rashed Al Kuwari was so respected that he was appointed team captain. Retired as an athlete, Jafar Rashed Al Kuwari now works as manager and spokesperson for Al Sadd.
8. Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios – 154 cm
Diego Armando Maradona is not the only footballer from Argentina who is short. There are still other football players who are even shorter than Maradona. He is Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios. The position of Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios is arguably very vital, namely as a striker. The striker’s position is always identified with a tall and strong figure in order to be able to duel with opposing defenders.
Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios is known to only have a height of 154 cm. Very short for the size of an Argentine player who plays as a striker. In 2009, he became the youngest player ever to defend River Plate at 16 years, 7 months and 2 days. Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios played for the Argentina national team in 2009 for the U-17 World Cup.
9. Elton Jose Xavier Gomes – 154 cm
If you are quite surprised that in Brazil there is a player with a height of 160 cm named Madson Formagini Caridade, you will be even more surprised to know that there is a football player who is also from Brazil but is even shorter than Madson. This is Elton Jose Xavier Gomes, a Brazilian player who plays as a 36-year-old attacking midfielder.
Elton Jose Xavier Gomes is only 154 cm tall, the same as Daniel Alberto Villalva Barrios. Elton Jose Xavier Gomes studied at the Corinthians academy and briefly defended Corinthians. He is known to defend the club from the United Arab Emirates, Al-Hamriyah in the 2020-2021 season.
10. Marcin Garuch – 153 cm
A football player must know what his weaknesses and strengths are. If he realizes that his body is small, then he must increase other factors in himself in order to compete with opposing players. Maricn Garuch, who knows that he is not gifted with a tall body, trains his skills so that he can become a dangerous football player.
Marcin Garuch became the shortest soccer player ever. He is only 153 cm tall, very short for a player who plays as a midfielder. He has been with the Miedz Legnica team for the longest time, a football club in Poland for the 2004-2016 season. Marcin Garuch is short, but he is good at dribbling and executing set pieces.
Old school parents would often to scold their children if they caught their children playing video games. One of the most frequent saying is that “playing video games is pointless and doesn’t make any money”.
As time and technology develop, it turns out that now playing video games can be an option to make money. What was originally a hobby can turn into a job because now being a gamer can make money.
Play games then stream on a platform and get endorsements from a brand. The money generated is not a joke. Here are the richest gamers in the world with their top earning just by playing video games.
1. PewDiePie – 60 Million USD
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg or known as PewDiePie can be said to be a motivator for everyone who wants to become a gamer. He is already like a celebrity in the gaming world. From him, many people get inspired that playing video games and consistently uploading them to YouTube can also be successful.
Unlike gamers in general who focus on one or two games, PewDiePie does not specialize in gaming. He plays a lot of games and uploads them to YouTube. While playing the game, he can entertain the audience with his humor and interaction with the audience. He became the richest gamer in the world with an income of 60 million USD.
2. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins – 40 Million USD
Richard Tyler Blevins created a YouTube channel with the name Ninja. He plays video games and uploads videos on both Twitch and YouTube. Hailing from America, he can be considered a pro gamer as he was part of an E-sports team and played competitively for the game Halo 3.
On his YouTube channel, you can see one of his favorite game is Fortnite. His YouTube channel has reached more than 20 million subscribers and his videos have been watched 2.5 billion times. Per month, he can earn as much as 500,000 to 1,000,000 million USD just by playing video games.
3. Daniel Middleton – 35 Million USD
Gamers certainly have games that they like and play most often. Daniel Middleton is known as a gamer who really like to play Minecraft.
There are also other games he plays such as Roblox, and Pokemon. During his career in the gaming world, he has won several awards. As his videos while playing Minecraft were watched several times, he managed to register his name in the Guinness World Records. He also listed his name in the Rocket League record books for scoring so many goals.
4. Mark Fischbach “Markiplier” – 35 Million USD
Fischbach, an American who are not only known as a gamer, he is also in the world of acting as an actor, director, writer, and producer.
Mark Fischbach created a YouTube channel under the name Markiplier. The number of subscribers has more than 30 million subscribers and is still growing. There are tons of videos that he has uploaded to his YouTube channel and have been watched billions of times.
5. Evan Fong “VanossGaming” – 25 Million USD
Evan Fong is arguably a very talented man. This Canadian man is known as an internet personality, video game commentator, music producer, and DJ. He created a YouTube channel with the name VanossGaming. The subscribers he has are extraordinary. Subscribers have at least reached 21 million subscribers.
From so many subscribers, every video he uploads can be watched at least 8 billion times. He most often plays the video games Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: World at War. Not alone, in every game he plays, Evan Fong invites his friends to play together. In 2014 and 2016, he was nominated for The Game Award for Trending Gamer and Shorty Award for Tech and Innovation.
6. Preston Blaine Arsement – 20 Million USD
Preston Blaince Arsement is an American gamer who is nominated as one of the richest gamers in the world.
Preston Blaince Arsement has two YouTube channels: TBNRFrags and PrestonPlayz. The two channels both contain videos of playing video games. Some of the games he plays include Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. In Minecraft, it turns out that he manages a server. The server is opened to whoever want to access it and need to pay some fees.
7. Michael Grzesiek “Shroud” – 20 Million USD
Playing video games with the theme of shooting or first-person shooters is fun. Someone is trained to be able to control the weapons used and fight strategies so as not to die by the enemy. From this first-person shooter type game, there is one famous player, Michael Grzesiek or better known as Shroud.
Michael Grzesiek really likes first-person shooter type games. The games played include Valorant, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Escape from Tarkov, and PUBG. He uploads videos playing the game on two platforms: Twitch and YouTube. Every videos that he uploads is always being watched by more than 1 billion times.
8. Sean McLoughlin “Jacksepticeye” – 16 Million USD
Jacksepticeye or his real name, Sean William McLoughlin was previously a member of the band from Raised to the Ground.
Before he was as famous as he is now, he often uploaded his comedy vlog entitled Let’s Play series. 2007 was his first year as a gaming YouTuber.
9. Timothy John Betar “TimTheTatman” – 12 Million USD
Fortnite players are certainly familiar with the name Timothy John Betar. Through the game Fortnite, he managed to become a famous gamer. The man with the nickname TimTheTatman is not only focus on one game. He also plays other video games such as Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
His name came to the fore in 2012 just as he joined Twitch. On the platform, he gained a fantastic number of followers of 7 million followers. He also expanded his career to YouTube. On YouTube, he managed to get 4.3 million subscribers. In addition to playing video games, Timothy John Betar also participated in a game tournament event in 2018. He managed to sign a contract with Complexity Gaming.
10. Johan “N0tail” Sundstein – 7.8 Million USD
Dota is a video game series developed by Valve. The first series was released in 2003 under the name Defense of the Ancients (DOTA).
Then in 2013, the sequel was released, namely Dota 2. This game is very popular with many people and the tournaments held for the game are also not less.
Many great professional gamers were born from the game Dota 2. One of these gamers is Johan Sundstein or commonly known by the nickname N0tail. From various sources, Johan Sundstein became the richest game player in Dota 2. He started playing the game at the age of 15 and participated in a number of Dota 2 tournaments.
Football players who are prone to injury will certainly interfere with their football career. Based on the track record, if it is happen too often, they will be moved to small clubs that want to accommodate them. This also make any football club to think twice before recruit them.
With that to say, here are the list of football players who are prone to injury:
1. Sergio Aguero
Manchester City is arguably very lucky to have a striker like Sergio Aguero. City bought Aguero from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for 35 million Pounds. He was bought to replace Carlos Tevez. He defended Manchester City from 2011 to 2021. The total goals he has made are 184.
Barcelona, who are interested in Aguero’s performance, signed him from City on a free transfer. Actually, while still defending Manchester City, Sergio Aguero has often suffered injuries. Even so, Barcelona still want to recruit him. Until finally it was discovered that he had a heart problem so he could not continue his career on the gridiron.
2. Marco van Basten
The Netherlands has many great football players. Name some of them such as Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Edwin van der Sar, Ruud Gullit, and Marco van Basten. Among the players, Marco van Basten is the player who has the most frequent problems with injuries.
This legendary Dutch striker retired early at the age of 30. The two teams he has played for are Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan. His career was so short as he had problems with his ankle. Until finally his last ankle injury in 1994, made him decide to stop playing football.
3. Owen Hargreaves
The departure of Roy Keane, who plays as a defensive midfielder as captain, makes Manchester United want to find a replacement immediately. MU then saw a replacement for Keane in Owen Hargreaves. MU bought Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in 2017 for a fee of 17 million Pounds.
Actually Hargreaves had a good game, unfortunately the injury he experienced made him miss more often. Hargreaves had frequent knee problems, keeping him out of action for up to 25 months. When he left for Manchester City because his contract was not extended by Manchester United, Hargreaves had shown that he was not a player who was prone to injury.
When in uniform for Manchester City, Hargreaves criticized Manchester United that they could not handle his injury properly. But it didn’t take long for the injury to recur. At Manchester City also Hargreaves could not perform optimally because of his recurring injury.
4. Aaron Ramsey
Arsenal is known as one of the clubs in the Premier League that often buys young players. One of the young players who have been bought by Arsenal is Aaron Ramsey. He was bought from Cardiff City when he was 18 years old. During his time with the Gunners, Aaron Ramsey, who had a position as a midfielder, had problems with his fitness.
Ramsey is actually a great player and has a great work ethic. Injuries that hit him continuously made him have to be out for a long time. Football players who are absent for a long time due to injury will definitely make it more difficult for their performance to develop. The worst injury he ever suffered occurred in the 2009-2010 season when he suffered a fracture of the tibia and fibula. As a result of the injury, he was out for 248 days.
5. Jonathan Woodgate
England once had a talented center-back: Jonathan Woodgate. His good performances at Leeds United made him bought by Newcastle United. Looking good, Real Madrid bought him in 2004. But because his performance was not satisfactory, he was loaned to Middlesbrough for one year.
Unstable performance is not without reason. Jonathan Woodgate could not appear stable because more often absent due to injury. Often this injury made Madrid let him go to Middlesbrough. But at Middlesbrough also did not perform as expected. It can’t be helped, Woodgate is an athlete who gets injured easily. Couldn’t expect more from him.
6. Ronaldo
Talking about the greatest striker, of course, it is impossible not to mention Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima.
Ronaldo is very prone to injury, the injury that most often attacks him is an injury to the knee. The beginning of this knee injury occurred when he defended Inter Milan. In the match against Lazio in the Coppa Italia event on April 12, 2000, Ronaldo returned to play after 5 months of absence. Not ending well, Ronaldo suffered a severe knee injury while trying to do his trademark stepover.
Since the injury, Ronaldo’s knee has not been able to return to the way it was when he was healthy. Several times he had injured the same knee. Even when Real Madrid bought him in 2002, his injuries recur frequently. This is what makes Ronaldo unable to return as sharp as before.
7. Alexander Pato
AC Milan fans will certainly not forget the figure of Alexandre Pato. Pato, who was still young at that time, was predicted to be a scary striker to replace Andriy Shevchenko who left for Chelsea. AC Milan bought Alexandre Pato from Internacional for 24 million Euros in 2007.
A player as young as Pato should have a long career and great opportunity to develop. Unfortunately, Pato is injured more often than playing and scoring goals. Muscle and ankle injuries are injuries that are often experienced by this Brazilian player. In total there are 13 different injuries suffered by Pato in a period of 3 years.
8. Michael Owen
Liverpool had one talented striker; Michael Owen. One might despise him for his short and small stature, but Owen’s speed cannot be underestimated. With a record of 216 matches with Liverpool, he managed to score 118 goals. Until finally he was bought by Real Madrid.
In Madrid, he could not perform fully, he was more often struggling with injuries. Released by Real Madrid to Newcastle United and then to Manchester United before closing his career at Stoke City. Due to his frequent injury, during the time at Manchester United he was willing to not get a full salary. He only gets paid when he plays. If Owen hadn’t been injured, he would have become one of the most fearsome strikers in the world.
9. Ousmane Dembele
Borussia Dortmund in recent years has been filled with talented young players. This young and great player was then bought by many big clubs. One of the talented young players who has played at Borussia Dortmund is Ousmane Dembele. Dembele is a French player who has a position as a winger.
Dembele was bought by Barcelona in hopes of making Barcelona’s attack line scary. Unfortunately that wish did not come true. Dembele has been sidelined most of the time due to injury. I do not know how many times he was injured, even though he was still young, namely 24 years old. Therefore, Barcelona is still thinking longer whether to extend his contract or not.
10. Marco Reus
It’s a shame for Marco Reus because he actually has good skills but was damaged by injury. When he is fit, Marco Reus can always show his extraordinary form. Coming from Borussia Mönchengladbach, it was during his optimal performance that made Borussia Dortmund buy him in 2012.
Marco Reus is injured quite often, this earned him the nickname the glass foot. Still remember when Marco Reus failed to defend the German national team in the 2014 World Cup because of an injury he suffered. At his club, Borussia Dortmund, he also often suffered from injuries. But when he plays, he always looks good.
In football, blunders can happen at any time and committed by anyone. The impact of the blunder can impact the whole team draw or even lose. Obviously this will make the players who make blunders will certainly remember the blunders they did and become a long trauma. Here are the 10 worst blunders that have ever happened in football:
1. John Terry vs Manchester United
After playing 90 minutes and the score ended 1-1, the match continued into extra time. There was no change in the score, the match continued to the penalty shootout. Cristiano Ronaldo who missed a penalty gave Chelsea a little hope. John Terry who became the last kicker missed a penalty which resulted in Chelsea failing to seal the Champions League title.
The penalty shoot-out was continued until it was Nicolas Anelka’s turn. Anelka’s kick was saved perfectly by Van der Sar and made Manchester United win.
2. Martin Hansson, France vs Ireland
The first leg of France managed to beat Ireland with a score of 1-0. In the second leg, Ireland managed to score 1 goal which forced the match to continue in extra time. In the chaos in front of the Irish goal, Thierry Henry touched the ball and passed the ball to Gallas who had headed in. The referee, Martin Hansson, approved the goal and the match ended with the score 1-1. This made the Irish step failed to continue to the next round.
3. Roberto Baggio vs Brazil
Football players in the class of Roberto Baggio have also made blunders. This blunder occurred in an important tournament, the World Cup in 1994. Making it to the final, Italy had to face Brazil and win if they wanted to lift this prestigious trophy. The match was tight until it had to continue in the penalty shootout. Being the decisive kicker, Baggio even failed to do so. As a result, Italy had to be willing to take the championship title by Brazil.
4. Rafael Van der Vaart vs VfB Stuttgart
While still active as a player, Van der Vaart had defended the Hamburger SV team. When Hamburg met with VfB Stuttgart, Van der Vaart made a fatal mistake. Van der Vaart tried to do a long pass and bounced towards the goalkeeper. Van der Vaart was not aware that his goalkeeper was attacking and the goal was empty. The ball was immediately chased by Stuttgart players and managed to enter it into the goal.
5. Massimo Taibi vs Southampton
In the first two matches, Taibi actually appeared quite convincing. Until finally arrived when Manchester United met with Southampton. Taibi made a fatal blunder that made his team have to draw with the score 3-3. Taibi failed to catch the ball well and the ball slipped through his legs. The blunder was unforgivable and made his position as the main goalkeeper removed.
6. Andres Escobar’s Own Goal
Andres Escobar is a football player from Colombia. Colombia has very militant fans. When Colombia met USA in the 1994 World Cup, Andres Escobar made a blunder that he will never forget. Intending to clear the ball from John Harkes’ crossing, the ball bounced off Escobar’s feet and into his own net. The final result of the match Colombia lost to USA with a score of 2-1 and failed to qualify from the group stage.
Supporters of the Colombian national team, which is known to be militant, are very upset and angry at Escobar’s blunder. When Escobar wanted to go to a bar with his friends, Escobar met a Colombian supporter and the supporter pulled out a gun and shot Escobar. Escobar was shot 6 times and died while being taken to the hospital.
7. Zinedine Zidane vs Italy
This once happened in Italy’s match against France in the 2006 World Cup. Italy met France in the final and the match was exciting. At the time the score was 1-1, Zidande did something that many people didn’t expect. Zidane suddenly headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest. As a result of his actions, Zidane got a red card from the referee and France. The loss of Zidane certainly greatly affected the French game.
France and Italy continued the match until the penalty shootout. Unfortunately, France lost on penalties to Italy with a score of 5-3.
8. Loris Karius vs Real Madrid
The defeat was felt for Liverpool, especially Loris Karius the goalkeeper. Karius appeared convincing by making a number of brilliant saves. But he made 2 fatal mistakes that resulted in goals for Real Madrid. The first blunder he made was when he was about to throw the ball at his teammate but was instead blocked by Benzema who was right in front of Karius.
The second error was made when he failed to catch Bale’s long-range shot well. The ball slipped from his catch and went into his own net. Already Mohamed Salah suffered an injury and was withdrawn after being fouled by Sergio Ramos, Karius made 2 blunders, and Liverpool lost, becoming a nightmare that will not be forgotten by Karius and the Reds fans.
9. Oliver Kahn vs Brazil
Despite holding the title of one of the greatest goalkeepers in Germany, Oliver Kahn has also made blunders. Kahn’s blunder occurred when Germany met Brazil in the 2002 World Cup. Rivaldo, who took a long-range shot but slowly, tried to be caught by Kahn. Unfortunately Kahn couldn’t catch the ball well, the ball bounced right at Ronaldo. Ronaldo immediately reacted quickly and kicked the ball into Kahn’s goal. Germany had to admit defeat to Brazil, 2-0.
10. Steven Gerrard vs Chelsea
Liverpool’s slipping moment was preceded by the slip of the captain, Steven Gerrard. Mamadou Sakho, who passed the ball to Gerrard, could not be controlled properly by the captain because he slipped. Demba Ba took advantage of the moment to grab the ball, dribbled it quickly, and scored his goal against Simon Mignolet. The final result, Liverpool lost 2-0.