Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the preeminent headers in world football today. His NBA-style leap, which reaches a ground clearance of 78 cm (31 inches), helps him beat some of the very best defenders in the business and score goals for fun from aerial balls. He has scored headers in some of the most important matches of his life.
While Ronaldo is originally a wide forward himself and has set up his teammates on innumerable occasions for their own headers, he has also been blessed to play with playmakers of the ilk of Ryan Giggs, Gareth Bale, Angel di Maria and Mesut Ozil, among others. This has resulted in him being the most prolific header of the ball in Europe over the last 6 years.
Also read: 10 of Cristiano Ronaldo’s best headers: Part 2
Not only is he a prolific scorer of headed goals, Ronaldo has also turned up with the goods in crunch matches when his teams have needed him the most. The following are the 5 best headers scored by Ronaldo in major tournaments.
#10 Copa del Rey final 2013 vs Atletico Madrid
This is the only goal on this list which Ronaldo has scored in a losing cause. Atletico and Real faced off against each other for their third encounter of the 2012-13 season in the final with more than bragging rights at stake – it was Real’s last remaining opportunity to end the season with a trophy.
Atletico were on a 15-year-long winless streak against Real at the time. Under Diego Simeone, however, they had rallied to a very strong defensive scheme, and had caused Real a number of problems in both of their league encounters that season.
Off a corner swung in by Mesut Ozil, Ronaldo beat off the attentions of Diego Godin to give Real the lead in the 14th minute of the game. It did not stay for long, though, as Diego Costa restored parity for the Rojiblancos in the first half.
#9 UEFA Euro 2012 quarterfinal vs Czech Republic
Portugal have relied almost solely on the talents of their Madeiran son ever since the retirement of their Golden Generation after the 2006 World Cup in France. Ronaldo has not always had the best of supporting casts, but he still holds the record of scoring in 7 consecutive international tournaments for Portugal.
In 2012, Portugal were drawn in the Group of Death alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Having qualified second in their group with commendable wins over Denmark and the Netherlands powered by their captain, Portugal were drawn against the Czech Republic for the quarterfinals.
After a tense, tight match in which Ronaldo hit the woodwork twice for Portugal in his role as an auxiliary forward cutting in from the left wing, Portugal found a breakthrough in the 78th minute through him. Ronaldo’s diving header beat Petr Cech fair and square.
#8 UEFA Euro 2016 semifinal vs Wales
Portugal won the Euro 2016 courtesy some brilliant contributions from their entire squad, but it is unarguably true that without Ronaldo, they would have stood no chance of even qualifying for the tournament.
After drawing all 3 of their group stage games, it was expected that they would crash out sooner or later. However, they got past the tough tests of Croatia and Poland in their first two knockout games, setting up an inviting semifinal clash with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey’s Wales.
Ronaldo provided the crucial initial breakthrough for Seleccao das Quinas with an absolutely barnstorming header, beating off the attentions of Chester. It is one of the many headers scored by Ronaldo in which he uses every bit of his 31-inch vertical leap. It has been a staple of gifs all over the internet ever since.
#7 UEFA Champions League final 2008 vs Chelsea
Back when Cristiano Ronaldo was not yet a household name all over the world, he had to work incredibly hard for each one of his laurels. Kaka’s AC Milan had comprehensively beaten Manchester United in the 2007 Champions League semifinals 4-3 on aggregate, handing Kaka the initiative to win the World Player Of The Year 2007 award.
Ronaldo buckled up and put in a season for the ages in 2007-08, leading United to a league and Champions League double. United were hotly contested by Chelsea, who were banking on Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba’s goalscoring prowess.
In their faceoff in the Champions League final, which is one of the greatest games in European football history, Ronaldo provided the brightest spark of the night with a perfectly placed header past Petr Cech. Wes Brown’s delicious ball was perfect for the forward, who beat off Michael Essien for the goal.
#6 Copa del Rey final 2011 vs Barcelona
This goal was voted as the greatest Clasico goal ever scored by a Real Madrid player in a poll conducted by the club, and for good reason. In Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge of Real Madrid, the Clasico rivalry was probably at its most feverish in the entire history of the rivalry, as the two teams met each other 4 times in 18 days.
The first of these encounters was a La Liga game which finished in a 1-1 draw. Real were buoyed by their solid defensive display in that game, and they came into this game brimming with confidence. They were able to keep Barcelona at bay for the entire 90-minute game – a feat managed by few teams facing Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
In the 104th minute, as the first half of extra time drew close, Angel di Maria set off on a dribble down the left wing and put in a speculative cross into the box. Ronaldo leapt up, arced his head back and somehow managed to find the hangtime and power to put the ball past Jose Manuel Pinto in the Barcelona goal in one of the most unbelievable moments he has produced on the football pitch.
