When pint-size players tower above their taller counterparts

The last three men standing in the race for the 2010 Fifa Ballon d'Or form a shortlist in more ways than one. The vertically challenged Barcelona trio of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta is proof that big isn't always better.

Like the 2009 Fifa Player of the Year Messi, the official height of both Xavi and Iniesta is listed at 1.70m Another seven members of the current Barcelona squad, who are playing an unrivalled passing game, are 1.75m or below.

And six of the victorious Spain team who appeared in July's Fifa World Cup final, including Xavi and Iniesta, were also 1.75m or less. The star of the losing Dutch side, Wesley Sneijder, the Inter Milan midfielder considered unlucky not to make the last cut for the 2010 Ballon d'Or, is also just 1.70m.

So is there a growing trend for pint-sized players? Or is it just coincidental that so many of the current crop of superstars is below average in height?

According to leading Asian coaches, the success of Barcelona and Spain's 'short stuffs' may be helping to change long-held views within soccer. In previous eras, these kinds of players may have been overlooked for fear of them being physically intimidated.

'When you are recruiting players, you just look for quality, then attitude, then desire,' said Peter Butler, head coach of Thai Premier League club BEC Tero Sasano. 'Size does not have a bearing for me unless you want a central defender or goalkeeper.'