Messi’s Height in Feet, Inches and cm

Lionel Messi stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is 1.70 metres. That is the figure listed across his official club and national team profiles, and it has stayed the same throughout his senior career.

If you are looking for the quick answer, that is it: Messi is 5’7″ (170 cm). For anyone used to metric measurements, 1.70 m is just over one and two-thirds of a metre. In feet and inches, 5 ft 7 in puts him a couple of inches below the average height for a man in most of Europe and the Americas, where the average sits roughly between 5 ft 8 in and 5 ft 10 in depending on the country.

More Information: How Often Does a Lunar Eclipse Happen? Explained Simply

More Information: Levi’s Free Shipping Coupon: How to Save on Orders

It is worth noting that listed heights in football are not always perfectly precise. Clubs measure players at different times, some round up, and a player’s height can appear slightly different depending on the boots they are wearing. Messi’s listed height has been consistent at 1.70 m across Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina, so it is about as reliable as a footballer’s height listing gets.

Why So Many People Ask About Messi’s Height

Messi’s height comes up constantly, and there are a few reasons for that. The first is simple curiosity: he is arguably the greatest footballer of all time, and fans want to know everything about him, from his boot size to his favourite food. The second is that he looks smaller on television than many people expect. When he is standing next to a 6 ft 2 in centre-back, the difference is obvious, and viewers start wondering exactly how tall he is.

There is also the famous story from his childhood. Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a young boy in Rosario, Argentina. His family could not afford the treatment, and Barcelona eventually agreed to cover the cost when he joined their academy, La Masia, at the age of thirteen. That story has become part of football folklore, and it makes people wonder whether the treatment affected his final height.

The honest answer is that nobody outside Messi’s medical team knows exactly how the treatment shaped his growth. Growth hormone treatment in childhood is meant to help a child reach a height closer to their expected adult height, not to make them taller than they would otherwise have been. Messi’s parents are not tall people, so 5 ft 7 in is a perfectly normal height for someone from his family background. The treatment helped him grow; it did not turn him into a giant, and it was never supposed to.

How Messi’s Height Compares to Other Footballers

One of the best ways to understand Messi’s height is to put it next to the players he has spent his career playing against and alongside. Here is how he measures up against some of the biggest names in the game.

Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo

This is the comparison everyone makes. Cristiano Ronaldo is listed at 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m), which makes him seven inches taller than Messi. The contrast between the two is visible every time they have shared a pitch: Ronaldo is a physical presence in the air, dominant in heading duels, while Messi plays the game low to the ground.

Their different heights have shaped their different styles. Ronaldo’s height and leaping ability make him one of the most dangerous headers of the ball the game has ever seen. Messi, by contrast, has scored relatively few headers in his career, and the ones he has scored, like his famous header in the 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United, stand out precisely because they are unusual for a player of his size.

Messi vs Neymar

Neymar, Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate, is listed at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), two inches taller than Messi. When the two played together, the difference was barely noticeable, and their partnership worked partly because both are low-centre-of-gravity dribblers who thrive in tight spaces.

Messi vs Other Attacking Stars

Kylian Mbappé is listed at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), three inches taller than Messi. Erling Haaland, at 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m), towers ten inches above him. Mohamed Salah is listed at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), and Kevin De Bruyne at 5 ft 11 in (1.81 m). Among the current generation of elite attackers, Messi is one of the shortest, and that is part of what makes his dominance so remarkable.

Messi vs His Argentina Team-Mates

Within the Argentina national team, Messi is again on the shorter side. Emiliano Martínez, the goalkeeper, is 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m). Julián Álvarez is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), the same height as Messi. Lautaro Martínez is 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m). Rodrigo De Paul is 5 ft 11 in (1.81 m). The squad has a wide range of heights, and Messi sits near the lower end of it.

Is Messi Short for a Footballer?

In plain terms, yes, Messi is shorter than the average professional footballer, but not dramatically so. The average height of a male professional footballer is roughly 5 ft 11 in to 6 ft (about 1.80 to 1.83 m), though it varies by position. Goalkeepers and centre-backs tend to be the tallest, often 6 ft 2 in or more, while wingers and attacking midfielders tend to be shorter.

Messi plays as a forward or attacking midfielder, positions where height matters less. In those roles, plenty of world-class players have been around his height or shorter. Diego Maradona, the player Messi is most often compared to, was listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), two inches shorter than Messi. Xavi Hernández, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder, was 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), exactly Messi’s height. Andrés Iniesta was also 5 ft 7 in. Luka Modrić is 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m).

The pattern is clear: in the creative, ball-playing positions, shorter players are common, and many of the best players in history have been around Messi’s height or below it.

How Messi’s Height Shaped His Playing Style

Messi’s height is not just a piece of trivia. It is genuinely part of why he plays the way he does. A lower centre of gravity gives a player several advantages, and Messi has made the most of all of them.

Balance and Close Control

The most obvious advantage is balance. A shorter player with a low centre of gravity is harder to knock off the ball, and Messi’s balance is extraordinary. Defenders bounce off him. He rides tackles that would send a taller, leggier player sprawling. His close control, keeping the ball inches from his feet while changing direction at full speed, is partly a product of his body shape. Shorter legs mean shorter strides, which means the ball stays closer and changes of direction happen faster.

Quick Changes of Direction

Watch Messi dribble and you will notice how quickly he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. His body allows him to make sharp turns without losing speed, and defenders struggle because they cannot predict which way he will go. Taller players, with longer limbs and a higher centre of gravity, need more time and space to make the same turns. Messi does not.

Acceleration Over Short Distances

Over the first few yards, Messi is devastatingly quick. His short, rapid strides get him up to speed almost instantly, which is why he is so dangerous when he receives the ball with a defender close by. He does not need a long run-up. Two or three touches and he is past his man. Over longer distances, taller players with longer strides can catch up, but in the congested areas where Messi does most of his work, his acceleration is a huge asset.

Playing Through the Middle

Because he is not a physical presence in the air, Messi has built his game around the ground. He drops deep, picks up the ball in midfield, and dribbles through the centre rather than waiting for crosses. This is why he has been so effective as a false nine, a role that asks the striker to come short and link play rather than stay on the shoulder of the last defender. His height pushed him towards a style based on technique and intelligence rather than physical dominance, and that style turned out to be one of the most effective in football history.

The Disadvantages of Being 5 ft 7 in

It would be wrong to pretend Messi’s height has no downsides, because it does. The most obvious is in the air. Messi wins very few aerial duels, and teams have always known that crossing the ball towards him is not a productive strategy. His heading record is modest compared to taller forwards, and when his team is chasing a game and pumping balls into the box, he is not the target they look for.

There is also the physical side of the game. Taller, heavier defenders can use their size to shield the ball or lean into challenges, and Messi has had to develop exceptional strength in his core and legs to cope with that. Early in his career, opponents tried to kick him out of games, knowing he was small. He learned to absorb contact, stay on his feet, and keep playing. His durability over such a long career, despite the constant fouling, is a testament to how well he adapted.

Set pieces are another area. Messi takes free kicks brilliantly, but he is rarely a threat from corners, and he does not defend the near post or mark the opposition’s tallest players. His teams have always built around that, putting taller players in those roles instead.

Common Myths About Messi’s Height

Because the childhood growth hormone story is so well known, a few myths have grown up around Messi’s height. It is worth clearing them up.

Myth 1: Messi Would Be Much Taller Without His Condition

There is no way to know what height Messi would have reached without a growth hormone deficiency, because his condition was treated. Growth hormone deficiency, left untreated, can result in a significantly shorter adult height, so the treatment likely helped him reach a normal height for his family. It did not make him taller than his genetics would have allowed.

Myth 2: Barcelona Made Him Taller on Purpose

Barcelona paid for Messi’s treatment because he was a talented young player who needed medical help, not because they were trying to engineer a taller footballer. The treatment began before he moved to Spain, and its goal was his health and normal growth, not his football career.

Myth 3: His Height Is Listed Differently Everywhere

Messi’s height is listed consistently at 1.70 m or 5 ft 7 in across official sources. If you see a different figure, it is usually a rounding difference, for example 5 ft 6 in or 5 ft 8 in, or a site that has converted 1.70 m imprecisely. The reliable figure is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm).

Myth 4: Messi Is the Shortest Great Player

He is not. Maradona was shorter, and plenty of other greats were around his height or below it. Players like Roberto Carlos, listed at 5 ft 6 in, and Lorenzo Insigne, listed at 5 ft 4 in, were shorter still and had outstanding careers. Height has never been the deciding factor in footballing greatness.

Messi’s Height and His Legacy

There is something fitting about the greatest player of his generation being one of the smallest on the pitch. Football is a sport where size helps, but it has never been everything, and Messi’s career is the strongest evidence of that. He has won the World Cup, multiple Champions League titles, and more Ballon d’Or awards than any other player, all at 5 ft 7 in.

His height shaped his game, but it never limited it. The low centre of gravity, the balance, the close control, and the quick feet are all part of the package, and they are all connected to the fact that he is 1.70 m tall. If he had been six inches taller, he would have been a different player, and quite possibly not as good a one. The game he plays, built on dribbling through crowded defences and changing direction in an instant, works because of his body, not in spite of it.

For young players who worry about being too small for football, Messi’s career is the best possible answer. Coaches at every level will tell you that technique, intelligence, and work rate matter more than height, and there is no better example of that than a 5 ft 7 in player from Rosario who became the best in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Messi in feet and inches?

Lionel Messi is 5 feet 7 inches tall. That is his listed height across his club and international profiles.

How tall is Messi in cm?

Messi is 170 cm tall, which is 1.70 metres.

Is Messi taller than Ronaldo?

No. Cristiano Ronaldo is 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m), which makes him seven inches taller than Messi.

How tall is Messi compared to Maradona?

Messi is two inches taller than Diego Maradona, who was listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m).

Did Messi have a growth problem as a child?

Yes. Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child in Argentina. Barcelona agreed to pay for his treatment when he joined their academy at thirteen.

Is 5 ft 7 in short for a footballer?

It is below average for a professional footballer, where the average is roughly 5 ft 11 in to 6 ft, but it is not unusual for attacking players. Many greats, including Xavi, Iniesta and Maradona, were the same height or shorter.

Does Messi’s height help his dribbling?

Yes. His lower centre of gravity gives him better balance, quicker changes of direction and tighter close control, all of which are central to his dribbling style.

What is Messi’s weight?

Messi is generally listed at around 72 kg (159 lbs), though his playing weight has varied slightly over the years depending on his training and conditioning.

Conclusion

Messi’s height is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), a figure that has followed him from his earliest days at Barcelona to the present. It is below average for a professional footballer, and it comes with real trade-offs, most obviously in the air. But it is also one of the foundations of his greatness. The balance, the close control, the explosive changes of direction and the ability to glide through crowded defences all owe something to the fact that he plays the game low to the ground.

The childhood growth hormone story adds context, but it does not define him. Messi is 5 ft 7 in because that is the height his body reached, and he built one of the greatest careers in sporting history with it. For anyone who has ever been told they are too small to make it in football, his career is the answer.

Read Also: Men’s Tennis Sneakers