In brief
Since 2000, Edin Dzeko, Olivier Giroud, and Aritz Aduriz have been among the most prolific goal scorers.
Radamel Falcao, Harry Kane, and Bas Dost have also scored a lot of headed goals.
With 121 headed goals, Cristiano Ronaldo stands out above the rest, demonstrating his remarkable athleticism and aerial prowess.
Objectives can take many different forms; some are artistic works of art, while others are tenacious but invaluable. The classic headed goal, in which a player defies gravity, rises above the commotion in the box, and thunders the ball into the net with pure willpower, is one of the most brutally effective. Even though they aren’t usually the most beautiful strikes, they have the ability to suddenly change the flow of a match and change the outcome of a match.
However, after 2000, who has become an expert at headed goals? We have thoroughly examined the most prolific headed goal scorers in the beautiful game with the aid of PopFoot. These are unquestionably the shooters that defenders detest marking the most on set pieces.
10Aritz Aduriz (63 headed goals)
Spain
Aritz Aduriz, a former striker for Athletic Bilbao, was a real threat when the ball was hanging in midair. For those who don’t know him, the retiring Spaniard may be well-known for his exploits in the Europa League, where he scored 26 goals despite only playing 39 games and is still among the highest scorers in Europe’s inferior league.
Remarkably, he scored 236 goals for teams like Bilbao, Spain, Valencia, and Mallorca during his career, including 63 headed goals, meaning that 22% of his goals came from his head.
9Olivier Giroud (65 headed goals)
France
Any non-football enthusiast would likely believe that Olivier Giroud is the best player to have ever played the game if you showed them a list of his career goals. The Frenchman possesses an incredible assortment of skills, ranging from diving headers that defy gravity to scorpion kicks.
It will go without saying that Giroud’s header was the decisive factor in England’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup. The former striker for Chelsea, Arsenal, and AC Milan has always managed to make goals appear as elegant as possible. He has risen to the top 65 times to nod the ball in, demonstrating his willingness to take advantage of any chance that came his way.
8Edin Dzeko (66 headed goals)
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Edin Dzeko has been one of the most prolific headers of the ball since 2000. In that same period, only 14 players have contributed more goals than him. Despite being 38 years old, he continues to score goals at an extremely astounding rate, continuing his two decades of prolific goal scoring.
No matter where he has been, the tall striker has scored goals with ease. He frequently finds himself on the scoreboard, whether it’s for VfL Wolsfburg, Manchester City, AS Roma, Inter Milan, or more lately, Fenerbahce. As evidenced by the fact that the 6’3″ Bosnian has headed past goalkeepers 66 times in his illustrious career, he apparently knows a few things about making the most of his frame.
7Bas Dost (68 headed goals)
Netherlands
From 2015 to 2018, Bas Dost was a consistent Netherlands international, and it was simple to understand why. The 6’5″ attacker was a battering ram in his best days, scrapping for every aerial battle imaginable. The enormous Dutchman, like Wout Weghorst in more modern times, loved to use his physicality to give a squad that typically had a fluid verve to their approach a totally different attack.
In addition to winning flick-ons and holding the ball up, Dost spent most of the game waiting for his teammates to lob crosses into the area. He was dependent on timing his runs precisely to get on the end of crosses and finish the move with an instinctual finish because he lacked a turn of pace. 68 times, or 25% of his overall career goal total, this was successful.
6Harry Kane (69 headed goals)
England
Harry Kane takes great satisfaction in being a versatile frontman. He can detect a winger’s run and guide a pass into his path if you give him the ball deep. He will almost always find the back of the net if you put the ball in the box. Therefore, you can bet on England’s record striker to use his head effectively if the cross happens to go in the air.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bayern Munich talisman move up in this rating as he is still unquestionably one of the top attackers in the world right now. With just under 500 career goals to his record, he lives by the maxim that “if you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the lottery.” His clever sprints into the area are what make him so prolific in the air.
5Radamel Falcao (71 headed goals)
Colombia
The smallest player on this list, Colombian forward Radamel Falcao, is only 5′ 10″, but it hasn’t stopped him from scoring a lot of headers. Falcao has a spring in his step and can timing his leaps into the air just right, which allows him to jump over most defenders.
It seemed like he was scoring a header every week, especially during his time at Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone’s success in the Spanish capital was a direct result of this. The squad was in dire need of a striker who could score from few opportunities, even though they naturally sat deep. Falcao, who regrettably failed when he joined the Premier League, never required a second invitation.
4Fernando Llorente (77 headed goals)
Spain
The rival stadiums must have detested seeing them come for a large portion of Athletic Bilbao’s recent history. Aduriz was included before, but Fernando Llorente is even higher on this ranking. The Spaniard used to use his entire 6’5″ frame to power in 77 headed goals, proving that he was a nightmare to stop in the air.
He used his head to score 36.6% of his 207 career goals. He also played in the Premier League for Swansea City and Tottenham, as fans of a particular type will recall. Nine of his 17 top-flight goals were off his nose, making his headed goals to overall total in England even more astounding.
3Robert Lewandowski (91 headed goals)
Poland
When Robert Lewandowski made his European debut for Barcelona last season, he scored three goals past Viktoria Plzen, making him the only player in Champions League history to record hat-tricks for three separate clubs. The prolific Pole, a great marksman, has been the only real threat to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring supremacy over the last ten years, surpassing them each season.
But few athletes have been as bad about winning the Ballon d’Or. In 2020, Lewandowski was the clear favourite, but the pandemic forced the cancellation of the ceremony, depriving him of his just desserts. Despite the near-misses, he keeps demonstrating his skill on the pitch and in the air, and after scoring ten goals in the previous season and a half with his new team, he is getting closer to reaching the amazing milestone of 100 headed goals.
2Luuk de Jong (105 headed goals)
Netherlands
Luuk de Jong has practically flown to new heights over the past season and a half, scoring 18 headed goals and showing no signs of slowing down. Since rejoining PSV in 2022, the 34-year-old has been in outstanding form and is getting closer to the top of this list.
A remarkable 105 of his 286 career goals—or 36% of his total—have come from his aerial prowess. It’s difficult to argue that nobody has ever been better suited for traditional route one football than the tall Dutchman, considering his lack of mobility, however even he has to give credit to the one player who towers above him.
1Cristiano Ronaldo (121 headed goals)
Portugal
Was it ever unclear who would be at the top of this list? Cristiano Ronaldo stands alone, of course. The Portuguese superstar, a natural at the air, could easily defy gravity by launching himself up to 9 feet 7 inches. It became instinctive for him to rise above the others at the most crucial times; it was one of his defining moves. He was unavoidable because of his ability to perform when it counted most, whether he was wearing the white of Real Madrid or the red of Manchester United.
It’s not surprising that Ronaldo owns the record for the most headed goals in the history of the beautiful game, as he is the all-time top scorer. Many contend that Ronaldo’s unparalleled athleticism and raw physicality give him the advantage in the never-ending argument over whether he or Lionel Messi is the greatest football player of all time. His astounding total of 121 headed goals undoubtedly presents a strong argument.
