Top 20 footballers with the most headed goals in the history of the game

Soccer players use different techniques to score goals. Some of the greatest goal-scoring styles are the snap header, the diving header, the chipped/lobbed effort, the backheel strike, the bicycle kick/volleyed effort, the curled effort, the howitzer wonder strike, the free kick, the penalty, chest, left/right foot strike, and the simple tap-in. Since players often try to impress fans with their header skills, this article unveils 20 famous footballers who have scored the most headed goals ever.

Players love the header techniques because these goals are often harder for goalkeepers to save. As a result, over 700 goals scored in the world's top five soccer leagues are headers, and on average, one in every five goals are headers. Christiano Ronaldo, Luuk De Jong, and Robert Lewandowski have been hailed as the undisputed kings of football headers. You can find out how many headed goals have scored and more players who have attained an impressive number of the headed goals in the world.

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Which players have the most headed goals in football history?

It is fascinating to watch players use the snap and diving header techniques to score goals. Unlike other goal-scoring styles, the head style requires the player to be near the goalpost to score. A thorough analysis of players' publications by sports data from Transfermarkt will help you know some of the world's best shot-takers. Among them, below are the top 20 footballers with the most headed goals in the history of the game:

20. Islam Silmani - 51

• Full name: Islam Slimani
• Born: 18 June 1988
• Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Algiers [El Djazaïr], Algeria
• Current teams: Coritiba Foot Ball Club, Algeria national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.88 meters

Algerian star Islam Silmani is one of the best headers in soccer history, with 51 goals scored using the head techniques. His career began at JSM Chéraga and CR Belouizdad in his homeland. In 2013, he moved to Europe, signing for Sporting CP. Currently, Islam has played in eight Serie A matches in 2023 since joining Coritiba Foot Ball Club on 20 August 2023.

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19. Raúl Jiménez - 51

• Full name: Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez
• Born: 5 May 1991
• Age: 32 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Tepeji del Río de Ocampo, Mexico
• Current teams: Fulham FC, Mexico national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.9 meters

Mexican forward Raúl Jiménez has 51 headed goals in his name. He has played 428 club matches and scored 127 goals. Jiménez played for Club América's youth system and now plays as a forward for Premier League club Fulham.

18. Sergio Ramos - 51

• Full name: Sergio Ramos García
• Born: 30 March 1986
• Age: 37 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Camas, Spain
• Current team: Sevilla FC
• Position: Defender
• Height: 1.84 meters

Spanish defender Sergio Ramos is known for his exceptional tackling and aerial abilities. He has dominated Spanish football for two decades, scoring over 100 club goals in his career, with 51 being headed goals.

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17. Karim Benzema - 54

• Full name: Karim Mostafa Benzema
• Born: 19 December 1987
• Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Lyon, France
• Current teams: Al-Ittihad Club, France national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.85 meters

French star Karim Benzema is among the best strikers of all time and top headers in football history. He is a creative forward with excellent technical skills, vision, and versatility. The player has scored over 461 club goals and 97 goals in leagues. Among these scores, 54 are from his head.

16. Peter Crouch - 56

• Full name: Peter James Crouch
• Born: 30 January 1981
• Age: 42 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Macclesfield, United Kingdom
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 2.01 meters

Retired English player Peter Crouch has the most headed goals in Barclays Premier League history. The former striker scored 720 goals in his career. Out of his 108 goals in the league, 56 were headed goals. These are the highest number of headers a player has ever achieved in the Premier League.

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15. Edinson Cavani - 57

• Full name: Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez
• Born: 14 February 1987
• Age: 36 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Salto, Uruguay
• Current teams: Club Atlético Boca Juniors
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.84 meters

Uruguayan footballer Edinson Cavani has scored 57 goals from his head. The player is known not only for his outstanding goal-scoring skills but also for his humility and respect for other soccer icons. For instance, when Cristiano Ronaldo was at Manchester United, Cavani handed over his No. 7 jersey to Ronaldo. The iconic jersey was worn by Manchester legends David Beckham, George Best, and Eric Cantona.

14. Miroslav Klose - 59

• Full name: Miroslav Josef Klose
• Born: 9 June 1978
• Age: 45 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Opole, Poland
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.84 meters

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Retired German player Miroslav Klose holds the record for the most goals scored in the Men's FIFA World Cup. He scored 16 goals over four tournament editions between 2002 and 2014. He is also the all-time top scorer for the German national soccer team with 71 goals, followed by Gerd Müller's 68 goals and Lukas Podolski's 49 goals. Klose made 666 appearances and scored 256 goals, including 59 headshots (7 being at World Cups), throughout his playing career.

13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 60

• Full name: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• Born: 3 October 1981
• Age: 42 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Malmö, Sweden
• Current teams: Sweden men's national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.95 meters

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for his entertaining and acrobatic shots, volleys, and ball-control techniques on the field. He scored over 701 career goals, including 60 head shots. In his Serie A career overall, Ibrahimovic played 370 matches and scored 496 goals, and 282 of them led to game wins.

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12. Mario Mandžukić - 60

• Full name: Mario Mandžukić
• Born: 21 May 1986
• Age: 37 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Slavonski Brod, Croatia
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.91 meters

Croatian football coach Mario Mandžukić retired from playing soccer in 2021. He was mentioned among the top shot scorer leaderboards severally during his days as a forward. Mandžukić made 89 international appearances and scored 18 game-winning strikes out of 60 career headshots.

11. Edin Džeko - 61

• Full name: Edin Džeko
• Born: 17 March 1986
• Age: 37 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Current teams: Fenerbahçe SK, Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.93 meters

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Soccer star Edin Džeko was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for three years. He is one of the best-performing forwards in the world, with 65 goals in 133 international appearances. Moreover, Džeko has attained 20 game-winning shots out of 61 total headers, including ten shots he scored in the Premier League.

10. Aritz Aduriz - 63

• Full name: Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia
• Born: 11 February 1981
• Age: 42 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.82 meters

Retired Spanish footballer Aritz Aduriz was one of the best players in Athletic Bilbao. He held La Liga's record for the player with the most headshots until Christiano Ronaldo ousted him in 2017. Out of 226 career goals, the striker made 63 headshots, 19 leading his teams to victory. Additionally, Aduriz scored 39 of his 63 headed goals record in the La Liga matches he played between 2009 and his retirement in 2020.

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9. Bas Dost - 67

• Full name: Bas Dost
• Born: 31 May 1989
• Age: 34 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.96 meters

Bas Dost is known for his astounding first-touch goals. The Dutch former professional footballer played as a forward across Europe for over 15 years. Between 2017 and 2018, the former Sporting CP forward scored 45 first-touch shots for the club, with 27 goals as headers. Of the 67 headers Bas Dost made in his career, 22 led to game victory.

8. Radamel Falcao - 71

• Full name: Radamel Falcao García Zárate
• Born: 10 February 1986
• Age: 37 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Santa Marta, Colombia
• Current teams: Rayo Vallecano, Colombia national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.77 meters

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Colombian footballer Radamel Falcao, famously known as El Tigre, is one of the most well-rounded attackers in soccer history. His incredible goal-scoring skills have enabled him to score plenty of goals. Falcao has played 233 matches, and out of his 304 total career goals, 169 have led to game wins, and 71 are headers.

7. Fernando Llorente - 77

• Full name: Fernando Javier Llorente Torres
• Born: 26 February 1985
• Age: 38 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Pamplona, Spain
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.93 meters

Fernando Llorente, nicknamed El Rey León, officially announced his retirement from professional football on 16 February 2023. During his active career, Llorente's preferred style of play involving aerial duels made him one of the best super subs in football history. Throughout his career, he played 151 matches and scored 185 goals. 77 of Fernando Llorente's career goals were headers, with 55 leading to game victories.

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6. Robert Lewandowski - 82

• Full name: Robert Lewandowski
• Born: 21 August 1988
• Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Warsaw, Poland
• Current teams: FC Barcelona, Poland national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.85 meters

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Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is undisputedly one of the best La Liga and Bundesliga players of all time. He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country. Throughout his career, Lewandowski has scored 82 headers.

5. Luuk de Jong - 85

• Full name: Luuk de Jong
• Born: 27 August 1990
• Age: 33 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Aigle, Switzerland
• Current teams: PSV, Netherlands national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.88 meters

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Dutch footballer Luuk De Jong is one of the most skillful players in football history, with 210 total career goals. Out of the 210, 85 are headers, and 25 led to match victories. Currently, the striker captains the Eredivisie club, PSV Eindhoven. De Jong played for DZC '68, De Graafschap, Twente, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Newcastle before joining PSV in 2014.

4. Pelé - 124

• Full name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento
• Born: 23 October 1940
• Place of birth: Três Corações, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Died: 29 December 2022
• Place of death: São Paulo, Brazil
• Age: 82 years
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.73 meters

The Guinness World Records credits the late Brazilian footballer Pelé 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches. He scored 77 goals in 92 international games for Brazil and 680 goals in official club matches. The star also played a few celebratory matches after retiring in 1977 and added more goals to his record by making "special appearances." With a record of 124 headed goals, Pelé is among the legendary footballers with the most headed goals in the history of soccer.

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3. Carlos Alonso González - 125

• Full name: Carlos Alonso González
• Born: 23 August 1952
• Age: 71 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Santillana del Mar, Spain
• Current teams: Retired
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.75 meters

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Carlos Alonso González (alias "Santillana") is one of the best strikers from Spain. The player was famous for his incredible heading skills. He played 645 games and scored 290 goals throughout his soccer career. Attaining 125 headed goals among the 290 proves center forward Santillana had a lustrous career. His extraordinary jumping ability made the former Real Madrid striker a heading prowess and constant threat in the box.

2. Gerd Müller - 144

• Full name: Gerhard "Gerd" Müller
• Born: 3 November 1945
• Place of birth: Nördlingen, Germany
• Died: 15 August 2021
• Place of death: Wolfratshausen, Germany
• Age: 75 years
• Former position: Forward
• Height: 1.76 meters

Gerd Müller is one of the greatest strikers in football history and an all-time top Bundesliga scorer. With 1,251 goals in 998 games for Bayern and 68 in 62 games for the Germany national team, Müller is worthy of a legend status. Standing at 1.76 meters tall, he could score around 40 Bundesliga goals per season. Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player who has surpassed Gerd Müller's record of 144 headers.

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 145

• Full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM
• Born: 5 February 1985
• Age: 38 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Funchal, Portugal
• Current teams: Al-Nassr FC, Portugal national football team
• Position: Forward
• Height: 1.87 meters

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Ronaldo is the world's unbeaten No. 1 footballer and highest header, with his highest jump recorded at 1.87 meters. He scored 862 senior career goals for club and country and won 34 senior trophies. Of the 862 goals, Ronaldo has scored 145 headed goals across five clubs and his national team.

Who has the most headed goals in football history?

Players with the most headed goals dedicate extensive time to training sessions. Their efforts eventually pay off because they can score more goals using this complicated technique. The table below lists the top 20 layers who have attained the most headed goals in football history:

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Who has the most header goals in history?

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has the most header goals in history: 145. Gerd Müller takes the second position with 144, Carlos Alonso González has 125, Pelé attained 124, and Luuk de Jong takes the fifth position with 85 headed goals.

Who scored the most headed goals in the 21st century?

Cristiano Ronaldo has the most headed goals in the 21st century: 145 goals.

Who has scored the most headed goals in Barclays Premier League history?

Retired English footballer Peter Crouch has the most headed goals in Premier League history. 53 of the 108 goals he scored in the league were headed.

Which player has scored the most headed goals in Premier League history?

Peter Crouch holds the record for scoring the most headed goals in the Premier League, with 56 goals.

Who has scored the most headed goals in Barclays Premier League history?

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The English top-flight league has had many iconic footballers with exceptional head-scoring skills. Below are the top 10 players with the most Premier League-headed goals:

• Christian Benteke scored 86 times, out of which 31 were goals from his head.
• Tim Cahill's 31 of his 56 goals in the Premier League were from his head.
• Olivier Giroud's 32 of his 90 Premier League goals came from his head.
• Teddy Sheringham scored 146 goals in the league, and 36 were header goals.
• Duncan Ferguson scored 68 goals in the league, 36 being headed goals.
• Dwight Yorke contributed 123 goals in the Premier League, 38 of them being headshots.
• Les Ferdinand scored 149 in the Barclays Premier League goals, 40 being from his head.
• Dion Dublin managed 111 goals in the Barclays Premier League, 45 being from the head.
• Alan Shearer attained 260 goals in the Premier League, 46 of them being headshots.
• Peter Crouch scored 108 goals in the league, 56 of them being headed goals.

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Who has the most headed goals in the Premier League of all time?

Peter Crouch (56 goals), Alan Shearer (46 goals), Dion Dublin (45 goals), Les Ferdinand (40 goals), and Dwight Yorke (38 goals) scored the most headed goals in the Premier League.

Who has the most headed goals between Messi and Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo has 145 headed goals, while Lionel Messi has only scored 24 goals using the head technique.

Who has the most headed goals in the UCL?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most headed #UCL goals than any other player in the Champions League.

Are headers being banned in football?

Headers have not been banned in soccer matches for adults. Nonetheless, The Scottish Football Association is considering banning this goal-scoring technique from children's games worldwide from 2024-25.

Soccer players with the most headed goals deserve acknowledgment and praise. The technique, especially the snap header style, is one of the most difficult ways to score goals. Players who can perfectly score gals from their heads are usually trained hard to improve their heading skills.

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