The diminutive looking player in blue is France forward Mathieu Valbuena.

Valbuena is actually 167 centimetres tall while those around the ball are Belgium's Marouane Fellaini (left) and Vincent Kompany, who stand at 194 and 196 centimetres respectively.

But the way Valbuena is leaning has created an optical illusion and he looks even smaller against his opponents.

The image has captivated social media with many questioning the validity of the photo on Twitter.

The friendly match ended with a 0-0 draw at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Wednesday.

smh.com.au