The 8 Strongest Players in World Football
By 90min
Superhuman strength is not necessarily the most important attribute connected with football, but with the growing physical nature of the game, it's becoming more of a necessity as each year passes.
Some players have taken the idea of being able to overpower their opponents to a new level, and are more suited towards power lifting than football. Here are 8 of those players.
1. George Elokobi
Unheard of outside of England - maybe even to many viewers of the Premier League - Colchester United full back George Elokobi has long been considered one of the strongest footballers around.
The 30-year-old spent three seasons in the top flight with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where most wingers stayed well away from him on account of his brute force and terrifying physique.
2. Victor Moses
The Nigerian international has been given a new lease of life at Chelsea under Antonio Conte, with his conversion into a right wing back marking his status as a regular starter for the Blues for the first time since signing in 2012.
The well travelled loan star is built like a pitbull and his supreme physical advantage has allowed him to fit perfectly into the hard working role that he has assumed in West London.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The karate-kick scoring, Taekwondo black belt needs little in the way of justification in this list.
Despite his advancing years, 35-year-old Zlatan has failed to relinquish the sheer force that helped to established him as one of the world's deadliest strikers.
Since turning 30, Zlatan has netted over 150 times and racked up over 70 assists. A combination of incredible physicality and skill make the Swede a unique prospect for opposition defences.
4. Victor Wanyama
The Tottenham Hotspur enforcer is a well known strongman, with this being the Kenyan's fourth season in the Premier League, after Southampton signed him from Celtic for £12.5m in 2013.
Now in north London, the 25-year-old dominates the midfield in most games he plays, with opposing central midfielder simply unable to compete with Wanyama's strong presence in the middle of the park.
5. Wes Morgan
Leicester City's title winning captain spent years in the second tier of English football before becoming the heart of the Foxes' incredible success story last season, where he forged an impregnable defensive partnership with Robert Huth.
The Jamaican international is not the most talented centre back around but try going in for a challenge with him and you'll see exactly why he is a modern day Spartan.
6. Giorgio Chiellini
The Italian is one of the world's most revered (and feared) defenders. The Pisa-born star is a tower at the heart of Juventus' rock solid defence alongside daunting duo Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci, and is known for his uncompromising style and powerful aerial threat.
The five-time Scudetto winner with the Old Lady boasts an unprecedented physical frame, but it is his agility combined with such power which has allowed him to become such a top drawer centre back.
7. Christopher Samba
Now at Panathinaikos, Christopher Samba may well rue his decision to leave the Premier League to join the now cash-strapped Anzhi Makhachkala a few years ago, with his ill-fated return to QPR ending in relegation.
The Congo international is a man mountain of a player and used his giant frame to become one of the most dominant defenders in the air. His time at Blackburn Rovers was renowned for making strikers invisible during games as a result of his physicality.
8. Adebayo Akinfenwa
Widely regarded as the strongest man in football, Akinfenwa again entered the limelight after Wycombe Wanderers took Premier League opposition Tottenham Hotspur right down to the line in the FA Cup this season.
The enormous striker can reportedly bench press over 200kg and he has used that unprecedented strength to absolutely bully lower league defenders throughout the last decade.
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