Some of the game's true giants have played in the Premier League. Whether it's Costel Pantilimon's 2.03m frame scraping the top of the crossbar, Nikola Zigic's 2.02m frame scoring just two Premier League headed goals or Peter 'good feet for a big man' Crouch, the English top-flight has been blessed with a selection of gangly frames down the years. Pantilimon, Zigic, and Crouch have all moved on to pastures in the Cypriot First Division, Championship, and Saturday night light entertainment, respectively, leaving significant gaps to be filled.
Luckily, some other tall athletes have stepped forward to fill their - presumably rather large - shoes. Let's take a look at the world's tallest athletes currently competing in the top flight.
8. Tyrone Mings - 1.96m
Photo: shropshirestar
Mings is one of the Premier League's tallest outfield players. Tyrone Mings' conversion from left-back to center-back by Dean Smith proved to be a masterstroke for the offender's career.
Mings was an out-of-favor full-back at Bournemouth, but he helped guide Aston Villa to Premier League promotion under Smith's tutelage before earning his first international call-up.
Was Smith's decision to use Mings' calm demeanor and ball-handling skills to transform him into a traditional, modern-day center-back a tactical masterstroke? Or did he just stand there and stare at him? He's 1.96m, for crying out loud, and he's a central defender.
7. Paulo Gazzaniga - 1.96m
At 1.96m, Spurs' number two strikes a commanding figure.
Goalkeepers who are taller than 1.96m but are not the first choice at their respective clubs are a common theme on this list.
Hugo Lloris, the goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur, is 8cm shorter than Paulo Gazzaniga, but he has made 216 Premier League appearances more than the Argentinian.
6. Angus Gunn - 1.96m
Photo: saintsmarching
Gunn is one of several goalkeepers to make the list of the Premier League's tallest players.
The Southampton goalkeeper started the season as the team's first choice, but he hasn't played in the Premier League since the Saints were thrashed 9-0 at home by Leicester, which was hardly his fault.
Southampton's first choice was replaced by the minuscule 1.93m Alex McCarthy, and Ralph Hasenhüttl's side has since rocketed up the Premier League table.
Before Southampton's impressive run of Premier League form, Hasenhüttl dropped tall center-back Jannik Vestergaard, and 2.01m goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been on loan at Celtic. Is the Saints' upturn in fortunes due to a strange case of small man syndrome from the 1.91m Southampton manager? There's a conspiracy theory that everyone can agree on.
5. Wayne Hennessey - 1.98m
Photo: sportingnews
Let's compare! Wayne Rooney is head and a half shorter than Hennessey.
What Wayne Hennessey lacks in Nazi Germany knowledge, he more than makes up for in stature. Since making his Premier League debut for Wolves in 2009, the Crystal Palace number two has been a mainstay in the Premier League, but his minutes have dwindled for the Eagles this season.
Hennessey has only appeared three times for Palace in the Premier League this season, his fewest appearances in the top flight since the 2013/14 season.
4. Lukas Jensen - 1.98m
Photo: livefutbol
Burnley's number three is Jensen. Burnley's number three has all the height but has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League.
Jensen joined the Clarets from Danish club Hellerup IK in 2019, but he is currently ranked behind Nick Pope, who is seven years his senior but only 7cm shorter, and Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Turf Moore pecking order.
He has made the Burnley matchday squad for the first time since the Premier League resumed, stooping to get into the dugout to sit on the bench for the Clarets' recent fixtures against Manchester City, Watford, and Crystal Palace.
3. Dan Burn - 1.98m
Photo: skysports
Dan Burn is a bit taller than Aaron Lennon.
Dan Burn is a mystery. Some sources claim he's 1.98m tall, while others claim he's over 2m tall and stands at 2.01m. Burn has been a key member of Brighton's defense this season, missing just four Premier League games due to a collarbone injury suffered in January.
Fans were treated to an absolute treat when he marked all 1.65m of right-winger Aaron Lennon during Brighton's clash with Burnley in September 2019. He has all the height of a burly center-back but plays at left-back, so fans were in for a treat when he marked all 1.65m of right-winger Aaron Lennon during Brighton's conflict with Burnley in September 2019.
2. Jannik Vestergaard - 1.99m
Photo: soccersouls
Vestergaard is the tallest outfield player in the Premier League.
Southampton's center-back wins the award for Premier League's tallest outfield player. In the absence of the 2020 Ballon d'Or, it is arguably the most prestigious sporting award this year.
Since joining Saints from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2018, Vestergaard has been in and out of the team. He was part of the Southampton defense that conceded nine goals against Leicester, and, like fellow tall man Angus Gunn, has played less frequently since the club's bounceback at the turn of the year.
He demonstrates that height isn't everything.
1. Matt Macey - 2.01m
Photo: footballtransfertavern
Matt Macey has a lot of one and not a lot of the other when it comes to height and Premier League appearances.
Arsenal's third-choice goalkeeper has yet to play in the Premier League, despite being on the bench for the Gunners' last six games due to the injury to Bernd Leno.
Standing at 2.01m, Macey is the Premier League's tallest player, while also serving as an excellent social distance gauge if you lie him down.
