You may think that footballers are only good at running. But being fast and good with the ball at your feet is not the only thing that makes a good football player. It takes an incredible amount of strength to compete at the highest level, particularly if you want to make more out of your career.
However, there are some footballers who take the weightlifting regime in the gym a bit too seriously. Putting on added muscles can help you win duels and be a more dominant presence on the pitch. Some players are harder than others and today we explore the strongest football players of modern football.
Christian Benteke
The former Belgian international, Christian Benteke, who played in the Premier League, is considered one of the most physically strong players in the world. You might not be able to tell it at first, but he has the strength and the pace to outwork every defender possible.
His physical attributes were enough to earn him a move to Aston Villa in 2012. He later appeared for Liverpool and Crystal Palace, before settling down in the MLS and DC United. Even though he is 33 years of age, his strength allows him to play against physically weaker opponents in the MLS, allowing him to be one of the most prolific strikers out there.
Christopher Samba
Christopher Samba is a former football player who represented the Congo national team, despite his French connection through his birth. During his career, he had a few stints in Russia, namely Anzhi Makhachkala and Dynamo Moscow. But more notably, he played as a standard defender for both the Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers.
Samba occupied the central defender position back in his day and was most prolific for the Rovers. He stayed five years in Blackburn, played 161 matches, and scored 16 goals. For a defender, these are crazy numbers. But he has his immense strength to thank which allowed him to thrive in a physically demanding league like the Premier League.
George Elokobi
The name George Elokobi might not ring a lot of bells among football casuals. But have you seen him with his shirt off? He looks like a powerlifter, let alone a football player. He is massive, to say the least, and at 38 years of age, he still has time to hit the gym.
Unfortunately, the Cameroonian defender has retired in 2022 having played last for Maidstone United. His best days were at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he spent six years and played over 80 games.
Danny Shittu
If you’ve ever seen Danny Shittu, you could easily recognise him due to his enormous size. The now-retired Nigerian defender was a robust figure on the field. He occupied the centre-back position and was famous for knocking down his opponents and simply overpowering them in duels.
Shittu spent his entire playing career in England. Whether he appeared in the Premier League or the Championship, he knew exactly what needed to be done to stop forwards from scoring goals on him. He made his biggest mark at Queens Park Rangers where he played for 145 games and scored 15 goals in a span of four years. He retired in 2015 at Millwall.
Adebayo Akinfenwa
The towering presence of Adebayo Akinfenwa simply cannot be overlooked. If we were to give players titles based on the Game of Thrones show, Akinfenwa would definitely be the Mountain. Weighing 16 stone, the now-retired English striker never actually made it to the Premier League. Nevertheless, he had an excellent career in the lower leagues where he spent most of his career.
His best days were at Wycombe Wanderers, where he played in more than 200 matches and scored 52 goals. Akinfenwa used his immense strength to push other defending players around. He was not technically sound, but he had the strength which was more than enough to allow him to dominate the box.
If he were more technically sound, he would have found a place in a stronger team. Nevertheless, he goes down as a legend of the game and probably the strongest football player to ever step foot on a pitch.
Romelu Lukaku
One of football strongest players is also one of the most known strikers today. Another Belgian international, Romelu Lukaku, began his professional career at Anderlecht when he was only 16.
This was mainly due to his size, as he dominated the Pro League as the top striker. His talents didn’t go unnoticed and he soon found himself in England, at Chelsea. But it took time for him to adapt to the much more rugged English football, which resulted in him ending up with various lonas at West Brom and Everton.
Lukaku found his footing and would later even appear for Manchester United. But his best days were at Inter Milan, where he helped them retain the Serie A title by scoring 47 times in three years.
Lukaku has always been a beast in the box, but compared to some other players in the list, he also has the football chops of some of football’s greats. He has the highest combined transfer fees of all time, accumulating a €333.6m fee throughout his career.
Yaya Toure
In his heyday, Yaya Toure was one of the best players in the world. The Ivorian international started his career as a midfielder where he played in Olympiacos and Monaco. His strength in the central mid position earned him a career move to Barcelona. However, the lack of defenders forced the coach to move Yaya into the backline, where his incredible God-given strength helped him thrive.
He moved to Man City in 2010 where he spent the next eight years of his career. He became the best player in the club during the 2013/14 season. During that season, he transformed from a defensive mid to an attacking one, scoring 20 goals and adding 9 assists. Yaya showed that with great strength and a football instinct, he was able to play almost everywhere on the field you put him.
Victor Wanyama
Victor Wanyama will forever be remembered for the winning goal he scored for Celtic against Barcelona in 2012. With the goal, he became the first Zambian player to ever score in the Champions League. This goal put him on the map and eventually earned him a move to the Prem. He first appeared for Southampton and then moved to Tottenham.
Wanyama was a stable presence in the midfield. He was able to hold the ball and also blast it in the back of the net from afar when needed. Victor is still an active player. But he is living out his football days in the MLS appearing for the Canadian side CF Montreal. At 33 years it might seem that he is close to the end of his career. But his stats and output do not show any signs of slowing down.
Micah Richards
Micah Richards was an immense talent that somehow got lost on his way. Predicted as a long-term right-back choice for England, Micah never became the player everyone expected him to be. He retired at only 32 years of age at Aston Villa, but before playing for Manchester City and Fiorentina.
Richards had his best playing days for City, but it was also there that his career took a nosedive. He lost his pace but gained a lot of muscles, which resulted in his hardness on the pitch. We all remember his duel with Chelsea’s Diego Costa which saw the Spanish forward flat on the ground with Micah towering over him as if Costa was only a fly.
Adama Traore
Whenever strong football players are mentioned, you cannot go past the name of Adama Traore. His biceps are the size of some plater’s ties. As a youngster at Barcelona, his physique was not so great. But it seems that Traore took hitting the gym rather literally and one day emerged as the best. He broke out for the Wolves where he played 157 games and scored 10 goals.
What is crazy about Traore’s physical attributes is that he does not only possess immense strength but great speed as well. During his height, he was one of the fastest players in the Premier League. He could run at a pace of 36.60 km/h, which is astounding for a player of his size. He currently plays for Fulham but has retired for the Spanish national side.
