France's Mathieu Valbuena, according to UEFA, stands 1.67m tall (that's around 5'6"). He is, by football standards, quite short. 

But while the likes of Lionel Messi are just a couple of centimetres taller, Valbuena has an unfortunate knack of looking shorter than everyone else.

Mind-blowing photo of Mathieu Valbuena (France) against Belgium, 2013 pic.twitter.com/Bw9NSlOFAW

— Classic Pics (@ClassicPixs) January 20, 2014

First, there was the image above from a France-Belgium friendly last year, which went viral.

In France's opening World Cup game vs. Honduras, there were two fresh examples. First, a picture of him next to the corner flag:

Poor guy is also as tall as a corner flag! #FRA pic.twitter.com/vCpzi7XT80

— Mohammed Ali (@mohammedali_93) June 16, 2014

 And second, a picture of him underneath a France goal celebration:

Valbuena can't catch a break with his height #FRA pic.twitter.com/exFsuFKhZE

— Mohammed Ali (@mohammedali_93) June 16, 2014

No wonder fans made a spoof Panini sticker in his honour before the start of the tournament.

French fans troll 5' 6" (1.67 m) Mathieu Valbuena, creating fake Panini pic.twitter.com/QydKsgnjre

— GOLTV (@GolTV) June 5, 2014

But with Valbuena impressing during France's 3-0 opening win, the little man is making a big impression.

[Twitter]