Unlike other sports, such as basketball, height is not a major barrier for those trying to become professional footballers. In fact, some of the best players of all time, like Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, were distinctly below average in terms of height.
It has meant that fans have seen footballers of all sizes when watching the English Football League and this article will focus on the shortest players to have ever played in the EFL.
These players have often used their height deficit to their advantage, nimbly outmanoeuvring their opponents and turning in and out of tight spaces.
To be eligible for this list, players must have been contracted to an EFL club and made a competitive appearance for them since the Football League was rebranded in the 2004/05 season.
10. Terell Egbri – 5’4 (1.63m)
One of many players on this list to stand at five feet and four inches tall, Egbri has enjoyed an eclectic career so far.
The 24-year-old winger came through the youth academy at Southend United, but his first appearances in senior football came in a loan spell at Harlow Town, where he scored seven times in 21 games.
The quick winger made his Shrimpers debut in October 2019 and he scored one league goal in six appearances during the 2019/20 season as Southend were relegated.
The following campaign saw Egbri seemingly begin to establish himself in the first team. The London-born man played 25 times in League Two as Southend were once again relegated due to issues with owner Ron Martin.
Despite the Shrimpers facing numerous problems off the field when they fell into the National League, the winger could not get into the side under Kevin Maher, going out on loan to Farnborough before being released.
He then had spells at Bishop’s Stortford, Harlow Town and Maldon and Tiptree before an extremely brief stint in the Lithuanian second tier with Babrungas.
Egbri returned to England with Maldon and Tiptree, only to leave the Jammers once again to pursue an opportunity abroad, this time with MFK Vyskov in the Czech Republic.
He will be starting his third spell with the Jammers in the 2025/26 season.
9. James Dodd – 5’4 (1.63m)
Standing at the same height as Egbri is another 24-year-old, James Dodd.
The central midfielder was born in Exeter and came through the youth system at his hometown club.
He made one appearance in the EFL Cup in the 2018/19 season but did not play again for the Grecians until the 21/22 season, where he made two more cup appearances.
Since he was released by Exeter, Dodd has spent a long time playing for Weston-super-Mare. He has made in excess of 150 appearances for the club in total, including 45 appearances in the National League South this season.
Given his recent success in the sixth tier, it is not completely out of the realm of possibility to suggest that the Englishman may find himself back in the EFL in the near future.
8. Dean Cox – 5’4 (1.63m)
One of the more established players on this list, Cox carved out an excellent EFL career.
The now 37-year-old played 354 times in League One and 44 times in League Two over a professional career which spanned over 13 years.
He was an ever-present player throughout most of his career, playing over 35 league games in eight of his first nine full seasons in professional football.
The diminutive winger came through the youth academy at Brighton and Hove Albion, making his senior debut in August 2005.
After 177 appearances and 22 goals across just over four seasons for Brighton, Cox left the south coast and moved to London with Leyton Orient.
He was an instant success for the O’s scoring 11 goals and providing a staggering 20 assists in his first season at the club, outshining the likes of Adam Lallana and Marc Pugh in terms of creativity.
Cox had another stellar season three campaigns later, scoring 12 times and registering 15 assists for the O’s, once again in League One.
He left the club at the start of the 2016/17 season, having made 275 appearances for the East London-based club.
The now 37-year-old ended his career with spells at Crawley Town, Eastbourne Borough and Worthing.
He is now manager the of Lancing Town.
7. Tom McCready – 5’4 (1.63m)
Yet another player who is 1.63 metres tall, Tom McCready is the younger brother of former Morecambe player Chris, who was over 20 centimetres taller than his sibling.
The younger McCready made his first senior appearances in what was then called the Conference with Altrincham before going out on loans to Chester and Airbus in the Welsh Premier Division.
He then made the slightly unorthodox decision of going to the United States of America to play college ‘soccer’ for Limestone University in South Carolina.
The midfielder returned to English football in the 2014/15 season with his brother’s former club, Morecambe signing a non-contract. He ended up making seven appearances for the Shrimps in League Two before joining Exeter City on a permanent basis.
Unfortunately, injuries got the better of the Englishman at Exeter and he made just 19 appearances, over multiple seasons, before he was released.
The now 34-year-old had a brief stint in the National League with AFC Fylde but has spent most of his time since dropping out of the EFL playing for Colwyn Bay.
McCready made 115 appearances for the Seagulls, in both the first and second tier of Welsh football, scoring a very respectable 35 goals. His best season was the 22/23 campaign when he notched up an incredible 26 combined goals and assists in just 27 league appearances.
He has now seemingly retired from football.
6. Islam Feruz – 5’4 (1.63m)
Islam Feruz is a diminutive Somalia-born striker who grew up in Scotland and never quite fulfilled his potential.
He spent time in the youth academies at both Celtic and Chelsea, scoring 18 times in 39 games for the Blues’ reserve team and even playing in a first-team friendly for the London club.
The striker also made multiple appearances for Scotland at youth level. This includes earning four under-21 caps, from which he scored two goals.
Feruz’s first spell in senior football was a non-starter. He agreed to join Russian club FC Krylia Sovetov, but asked for the loan to be terminated after just two days and eventually ended up at OFI Crete, managed by Genaro Gattuso.
He played just three times for the Greek-based side in the first half of the 2014/15 season before making just two appearances for Blackpool in the Championship during the second half of the campaign. A tweet after his debut for the Tangerines, saying that the team ‘take more kickoffs than corners’, led to a messy end to his time in the Northwest.
The following campaign saw him sent on loan to Hibernian, where he played just six games and failed to score a goal.
After eight games for Mouscron in Belgium and four games for Swindon Town in League One, Feruz seemingly retired from professional football without ever scoring a senior goal.
But, the striker has recently reappeared, playing for City FC in Dubai.
5. Ryan Fraser – 5’4 (1.63m)
Probably the most well-known player on this list, certainly amongst the younger generations, Ryan Fraser has been incredibly successful despite his notorious lack of height.
The Aberdeen-born man played 23 games for his hometown club as a youngster, registering six assists, before moving to the other end of the country with AFC Bournemouth.
Fraser joined the Cherries when they were a League One club and they were promoted in his first season in England, though he did not play a major role that season.
It was the following campaign, 2013/14, when Fraser really began to make a name for himself on the south coast. He played 37 times in the Championship, scoring his first three goals in men’s football.
The tricky winger found opportunities harder to come by in the 14/15 season. He made 21 appearances, mostly from the bench, as Bournemouth completed a miraculous rise to the Premier League under Eddie Howe.
At first, Fraser was not given the opportunity to prove himself in the top flight, being sent out on loan to Ipswich Town.
The Scot went on to have four good seasons in the Premier League, the highlight being the 18/19 season when he appeared in every league game, scoring seven times and providing a staggering 14 assists.
He left the Cherries in ignominious circumstances at the end of the 19/20 season, choosing not to sign an extension and play in Bournemouth’s final few league games, which had been moved due to Covid.
After 59 games with Newcastle United, in which he once again fell out with Eddie Howe, he joined Southampton on loan for the 23/24 season. Although he largely featured from the bench, Fraser scored six times in 39 games as the Saints won immediate promotion back to the top division of English football.
The Scotland international, who has won 25 caps for his country, made just 10 appearances for Southampton in the 24/25 season.
4. Alan Wright – 5’4 (1.63m)
No player on this list has made more Premier League appearances than Alan Wright, who was nicknamed ‘the mighty atom’ due to his height.
The former England under-21 international came through the youth academy at Blackpool and made himself somewhat of a legend for the Tangerines despite making less than 100 appearances for them. He was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
He then moved to Blackburn Rovers for a sizeable fee in 1991, becoming Kenny Daglish’s first signing at Ewood Park. The full-back made a handful of appearances for Blackburn in the season that they won the Premier League, but he moved to Aston Villa before the end of the season.
Wright had an excellent eight-year stint at Villa, making 327 appearances and scoring five goals for the club. He was named in the PFA Team of the Season after his first full campaign at Villa Park.
Between 1995 and 2001, the Englishman missed just seven league games for the Villains as he was an integral part of the side that won the 1996 League Cup and reached the FA Cup final in 2000.
The defender also made 26 appearances for the Villains in Europe before leaving in 2003.
After he left Villa, Wright never made more than 64 appearances for a single club. The diminutive full-back spent time in the EFL with the likes of Sheffield United, Leeds United, Middlesborough and Nottingham Forest before dropping into non-league with Fleetwood Town for the final games of his career.
He was briefly named assistant manager at Blackpool whilst Steve Thompson was caretaker manager and he had a spell in charge of Southport in 2013/14 before spending a decade as an academy coach at Man City.
3. Clint Marcelle – 5’4 (1.63m)
The final player on this list to be 1.63 metres tall, the former Trinidad and Tobago international had a fleeting EFL career.
His football journey started in Trinidad and Tobago, but he moved to Portugal with Académica de Coimbra in 1990.
The forward played for a number of other clubs, including Rio Ave, who now compete in the Portuguese top flight, before signing his first professional contract with Felgueiras.
He joined Barnsley in the 1996/7 season, playing 38 times and scoring eight goals in the old First Division as the Tykes were promoted.
Marcelle played 20 times in the Premier League during the following season but failed to find the back of the net.
From 1999 onwards, the attacker became a bit of a journeyman, playing for a staggering 14 clubs over the next seven seasons.
After a good season at Scarborough in 03/04, in which they played Chelsea in the FA Cup, he signed for Grimsby Town, making four appearances for the Mariners before being released in October 2004.
He managed North East Stars in his native Trinidad and Tobago between 2007 and 2010 and he now runs the Clint Marcelle Football Academy.
2. Levi Porter – 5’3 (1.60m)
The joint-shortest player in EFL history is former Leicester City winger Levi Porter who stands at just five feet and three inches tall.
The former England under-17 international came through the ranks at Leicester, making his senior debut for the Foxes in August 2006.
Porter really burst onto the scene in the 2006/07 campaign, making 34 appearances and scoring three goals for Leicester in the Championship.
The following campaign saw the winger involved less regularly during the opening weeks, but his season ended in October after he broke his medial collateral ligament in a League Cup game against Chelsea.
He made a return from injury in the 2008/09 season but played just twice for the Foxes. He was sent on a short-term loan to Mansfield the following campaign where he again played just two times.
Porter then dropped into the National League North with Hinckley United and Histon.
There is no indication as to whether Porter is still involved in football. He most recently played for Melton Town in the 18/19 season.
1. Erhun Oztumer – 5’3 (1.60m)
Porter holds the record as the shortest player in EFL history alongside Erhun Oztumer, who is in the twilight of his very established professional career.
The diminutive attacking midfielder, who has also been used as a false nine on occasion, was born in London but has moved between England and Turkey throughout his career.
His first games in senior football came with Anadolu Üsküdar in the Turkish third tier in the 2011/12 season. He played 34 times and scored three goals before returning to England with Dulwich Hamlet for the following campaign.
After two incredibly impressive seasons at the Hamlet, in which he scored prolifically from midfield, he was signed by Peterborough United in the summer of 2014.
His time at the Posh was mixed. He failed to secure a place in the team during his first season but scored six times in 30 games the following campaign.
Oztumer then had two extremely fruitful years at Walsall. In both the 16/17 and the 17/18 seasons he played over 40 league games and registered over 20 goals and assists.
This led to him getting signed by Championship side Bolton Wanderers. He played 31 games in the second tier over the next two seasons for both Bolton and Charlton Athletic, failing to score a goal.
After a season-long loan at Bristol City in the 20/21 season, Oztumer headed back to Turkey.
He signed for Faith Karagumruk, for whom he made 18 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig before joining Adana Demirspor and making 15 appearances for them.
Most recently, he has been playing for Mağusa Türk Gücü in the top flight of Cyprus, but he has joined Dogan Turk Birligi Spor Kulubu ahead of the 25/26 season.
- NOTE: All height statistics come from Transfermarkt – there may be cases where smaller players were listed elsewhere, but they were not included
