Lisandro Martinez’s height won’t be a big problem. Who are the best central defenders who have succeeded despite their smaller stature?

After weeks of negotiations with Ajax, Erik ten Hag finally got his dream Lisandro Martinez, whom he already had under him at Ajax. However, some have doubts about the 24-year-old defender because of his height. Martinez is 175 cm, which is quite short for a central defender. However, he would not be the first or the last to succeed despite his smaller stature.

Manchester United’s summer rebuild under new manager Erik ten Hag continued on 17 July with the announcement that the former Ajax boss had acquired one of his former players, Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez.

Martinez is the third player Manchester United has brought in this summer. Before him, Christian Eriksen from Brentford and Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord arrived at Old Trafford.

Manchester United are reported to have agreed a €60 million deal with Ajax for the 24-year-old central defender. That made Martinez one of the most expensive transfers in the Premier League during the summer transfer window.

This purchase didn’t go down well with Manchester fans at first. There was a lot of talk that Martinez didn’t have the height to compete with the taller defenders in the English Premier League, even though he played Champions League for Ajax without much trouble.

Coach Ten Hag, however, does not see his height as a problem. “He’s not the tallest, but he’s pretty good in the air. I feel good with him. Of course you need the right balance. He has good timing, that’s one of his skills. We brought him in not to strengthen the team, but to strengthen the team.”

“Martinez is a different type. He is a fighter, he brings aggression but he can also play football and has a good left foot. That’s also what you need in the balance of the team, players who can create and also players who can defend.”

Lisandro Martinez is 175 cm. That height makes him, by a decent margin, the smallest central defender in the entire Premier League. Below him on the list are Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta at 178 cm and Nathan Ake at 180 cm.

The smallest central defenders in the Premier League

The ability to head well isn’t entirely dependent on height, however. And Martinez’s stats bear this out. Despite his smaller height, he has managed to become an elite defender. In the Champions League, he was able to defend Haaland or Hummels, who are a few centimetres taller.

How good is Lisandro Martinez in the air?

Martinez may not be a header monster at 175 cm, but he cannot be described as weak either. The Argentine can be described as average when it comes to aerial duels.

Last season in the Champions League, Martinez ranked 21st among all defenders in aerial duels success rate with 64% when compared to defenders who played at least 500 minutes and had at least 10 aerial duels.

Below him in the rankings are players like his new Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire, former Chelsea player Antonio Rudiger, City’s Aymeric Laporte and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.

He was even better in the Eredivisie, succeeding in 70% of aerial duels and averaging 3.3 successful aerial duels per game.

Does height translate into aerial duels?

Height can of course play a role in aerial duels between defenders, but it is not necessarily the deciding factor.

For example, the fourth smallest central defender in the Premier League, Thiago Silva, is 181 cm, but he is one of the best defenders not only in the Premier League but in the whole of Europe. And he dominates in the air too.

Last season, Thiago Silva was the best ever defender in the Champions League in terms of aerial duels. He successfully came out of 18 out of 21 duels and as a result recorded an 85.7% success rate.

Over the years, however, it has become apparent that there is nothing wrong with being under six feet tall. Some of the best middle infielders in history were similarly tall to Martinez.

Franz Beckenbauer (181 cm)

Arguably the best defender in history. Beckenbauer won a lot of trophies at Bayern Munich, was key to West Germany’s triumph at the 1974 World Cup and is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Fabio Cannavaro (175 cm)

Another midfielder who has won the Ballon d’Or. Cannavaro is as tall as Martinez, but still made his name at Juventus and Real Madrid.

Franco Baresi (180 cm)

Another player who can boast the label of the best central defender in history. Baresi won countless trophies at AC Milan and came second in the 1989 Ballon d’Or.

Source: SportingNews, GiveMeSport, FBREF, ESPN