If you’ve watched Angel Gomes pick up the ball in tight spaces and wriggle out like he’s got an extra ankle joint, you’ve probably had the same thought I did: how tall is he, actually? The number is simple enough 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) but the story around it is bigger than a measurement. Gomes has built a career on timing, balance, and brains. And that matters a lot more than centimeters.
Below is a clear, human look at Angel Gomes height, yes, but also his journey, position, style, club situation, and why coaches keep trusting him in the engine room.
Quick facts (at a glance)
- Full name: Adilson Angel Abreu de Almeida Gomes
- Date of birth: 31 August 2000 (Edmonton, London)
- Height: 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
- Nationality: England (Angolan/Portuguese heritage)
- Position(s): Attacking midfielder; also plays as a deep-lying or central midfielder
- Current club (2025/26): Olympique de Marseille (shirt No. 8)
- Previous clubs: Manchester United (academy & first team), Lille; loan at Boavista
- International: England (youth star; made senior appearances)
How tall is Angel Gomes?
168 cm. That’s the official and most consistently reported figure across major databases and the Premier League’s own player page. If you’ve seen lower numbers floating around (some older pages wrongly list him at ~161 cm), take them with a pinch of salt reliable sources align on 168 cm.
What’s interesting is what he’s done with that frame. At 5’6″, he leans on agility, quick scanning, and body orientation rather than shoulder-to-shoulder duels. Think low center of gravity, first touch that buys half a yard, and the confidence to show for the ball under pressure.
The journey from Manchester to Lille to Marseille
Angel Gomes was a Manchester United prodigy debuted at 16, one of their youngest Premier League players before choosing a different route: regular minutes. In 2020 he left United for Lille, and immediately went on loan to Boavista in Portugal, where he played week in, week out and found his rhythm again. That loan was big for him goals, responsibilities, and a taste of running a midfield. He returned to Lille and developed into a versatile, mature playmaker.
In 2025, after interest from England, he took the next step and joined Marseille. He wears the No. 8, and early appearances already showed the same poise and punch we saw in France’s north just now on one of Ligue 1’s loudest stages.
Positions and playing style why height doesn’t hold him back
Two things stand out when you watch him:
- He’s press-resistant. He opens his body before the pass arrives and turns away from pressure in one movement.
- His passing breaks lines. Not just safe circulation he looks for the punchy ball between defenders, the kind that makes wingers feel seen.
While he came through as an attacking midfielder, managers have trusted him deeper as a No. 8 and even as a deep-lying playmaker. He’s said himself he enjoys operating through midfield, distributing and connecting phases. It fits his influences too: he’s cited players like Iniesta, Xavi, Bernardo Silva, Marco Verratti all proof that you don’t need to be 6’2″ to run a game.
If you care about the numbers behind the eye test, pundits and analysts have highlighted how he stacks up well in creative metrics assists, chances created, progressive actions especially during his Lille years. The story those numbers tell is the same as your eyes: he makes teams tick.
The England link
Angel Gomes has been a familiar name in England youth setups for years and won the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship as part of a special group. He’s since stepped into the senior England picture, making his debut and earning further caps. For a player his size, international recognition often arrives later; for Gomes, it came when he evolved into a deeper midfielder who could set the tempo and still provide creative sparks.
Setbacks (and bounce-backs)
In August 2024 he suffered a head injury during a Lille game that looked scary in real time. The good news: he was quickly discharged from hospital and recovered. It’s a reminder that careers aren’t smooth lines but also that he’s built resilience into his story.
Why coaches trust him
- Decision-making under pressure: He rarely panics. He’ll feint, switch angle, or take the foul whatever the situation needs.
- Versatility: Managers can use him as an AM, a No. 8, or a regista. That tactical flexibility is career gold.
- Work rate and responsibility: People forget: to play deeper, you need to defend space and read transitions. He does the ugly work without the spotlight.
- Leadership without shouting: He leads with example and clarity receive on the half-turn, move it quickly, reset if needed, find the overload.
Those traits have taken him from a bright academy hope to a trusted cog in top-flight midfields first Lille, now Marseille, with England knocking.
Career timeline (short and sweet)
- 2006–2017: Manchester United academy
- 2017–2020: Manchester United first team (breakthrough, limited minutes)
- 2020–2021: Loan to Boavista (regular starts, confidence rebuilt)
- 2021–2025: Lille (key development years; redefined his role deeper)
- 2025–present: Marseille (new chapter, No. 8 shirt)
Height vs. impact what 168 cm means on the pitch
Let’s be honest: some coaches still get starry-eyed about big, rangy midfielders. But modern midfields have plenty of room for compact technicians who think faster than the press can close. At 168 cm, Gomes uses:
- Low center of gravity to ride challenges and turn away from pressure
- Quick feet to adjust first touch even when the pass isn’t perfect
- Scanning (constant shoulder checks) to know where the next pass is before the ball arrives
- Angles—dropping into full-back zones, showing for the six, rotating with the eight to create easy passing lanes
If you’ve ever watched him receive a fizzed pass with a defender already on his back, the Angel Gomes Height conversation fades. Control buys time, and time kills pressure.
Family and background
Football runs deep: his father Gil Gomes played professionally, and Angel’s wider family includes several footballing relatives. That environment matters players raised around the game often develop the intangibles early: calm on the ball, awareness, and a feel for rhythm.
What to watch for at Marseille
- Role clarity: Will Marseille keep him as a No. 8 who links phases, or use him more as a deep playmaker to control tempo from the base?
- Set pieces: He has a clean delivery; watch corners and short routines designed to draw out a press.
- Partnerships: His best football comes with mobile teammates who bounce passes and move into the gaps he opens.
- End product: The next step is adding a few more goals without losing his glue-guy qualities.
Marseille is intense expectation, noise, pressure. If you enjoy footballers who can keep a clear head in a storm, this is the right club to watch him at.
Final word
Angel Gomes is one of those players you appreciate more the longer you watch him. The 168 cm frame gets mentioned a lot, but it’s a footnote compared to his craft: the way he receives under pressure, plays the sharp ball between lines, and resets the rhythm when a game threatens to get chaotic.
From Manchester to Lille to Marseille, he’s built a career on timing and trust coaches trust him to make the right decision, teammates trust him to show for the ball, and fans trust him to calm a midfield. If you’re the kind of viewer who loves the details the extra touch to unbalance a marker, the disguised pass that takes out two linesv keep an eye on him this season at the Vélodrome. The height? You’ll forget about it by the tenth minute.