Kobbie Mainoo has become the new boy wonder in English football and a hero for Manchester United fans. After enjoying a sensational 2024, the 18-year-old was recently called up to the England national team. While sky’s the limit for the stylish midfielder, the exact measurement of his height is starting to confuse some fans.
Mainoo looks to have the ideal built needed to excel in the Premier League. Not only has he impressed in league games, but also recently bamboozled Liverpool midfielders in the FA Cup.
There is a lot of praise for the Manchester United star’s on-field performances and humble demeanor outside it. But one thing about Mainoo that many fans are starting to debate is just how tall he really is.
According to the official Premier League websites, Kobbie stands in at around 175 CM. This equals to 5’9″, which is somewhat shorter than the average Premier League footballer. As per research, the average players’ height in England’s top flight is 184 CM, which would be around just over 6 ft.
But irrespective of that, the teenager has still won 16/29 aerial duels contested for so far in league matches this season. This would either mean he’s incredibly good with his aerial battles, or there might be confusion over his height.
Recent pictures show Mainoo standing up straight and matching the heights of much taller players.
After joining the England camp yesterday, the midfielder can be seen posing with Harry Maguire, who is 6’4″ tall. The fascinating thing about the photo is that Mainoo looks to be a only a couple of inches shorter than his United teammate.
Another picture from the recent FA Cup game has intrigued some supporters. Here, Mainoo can be seen being almost as tall as Victor Lindelof – whose billed height is around 6’2″.
Lindelof isn’t even bending or crouching down to match Mainoo’s stature, further aggravating questions around how tall the Englishman actually is. A lot of fans are now convinced that Mainoo is actually around 6 feet tall rather than his current billed height.
The fact of the matter is, officially, Mainoo is 5’9″. But the ‘record books’ – in this case the Premier League website – might not have been updated for a while. They probably measured the Englishman’s height just before he made his official league debut for Manchester United in February 2023.
There is a strong chance that Mainoo worked on his physicality and has had a growth spurt over the last year.
Normally, Male human beings can develop their height well into their twenties – but the peak height growth normally happens from the age of 15-18. There is a possibility that Mainoo realized the need to get taller for him to be able to keep up with Premier League players.
Mainoo has really worked hard to attain the optimum physical levels needed for top-level football. His coach at the Cheadle and Gatley academy Steve Vare, where he started his youth football career, remarked his transformation and said: “I went to the FA Youth Cup final (in 2022). He’s almost unrecognizable. As he’s a big lad now and he was only tiny when he was at Cheadle and Gatley. My description of him at the time was wiry, he was really strong and very quick off the mark.”
Mainoo seems to have always had that drive in himself to improve his physical attributes and work hard to get stronger. He obviously possess a special set of technical skills, but the Englishman’s admirable work ethic and drive is likely to lead him to many big things in what seems to be a promising career.
