Ronaldo's vertical: Exploring Cr7's astonishing jumping abilities and his highest leaps in football

Ronaldo's vertical: Exploring Cr7's astonishing jumping abilities and his highest leaps in football

Ciku Njuguna
May 25, 2023 at 3:59 PM
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Cr7 has accomplished numerous feats throughout his career to become one of the greatest athletes in the world. Ronaldo’s vertical jumps have been known to surpass NBA players' gravity-defying jumps. Dig in and discover how high the legendary footballer can jump.

How high was Ronaldo's highest jump?
Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus wins a header during a Serie A match against US Sassuolo at Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore on May 12, 2021, in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. Photo by Alessandro Sabattini.
Source: Getty Images

How high is Cristiano Ronaldo's vertical jump in inches? This article will dive deep into the details of Cr7's extraordinary leaping ability. Check this out and learn more.

What is Ronaldo's vertical height?

The Al-Nassr centre forward stands 1.87 m tall (6 feet and 1 inch), a physical asset allowing him to dominate header goal statistics. According to Goal, Cr7 towers over the average full-grown man in his native country (5' 7.5''), the United States and the United Kingdom (5' 9'').

Cristiano Ronaldo's vertical jump test

In 2011, a group of sports scientists submitted Ronaldo to an array of experiments measuring his physical and mental strength. The tests and results of the investigations were revealed in a documentary, Cristiano Ronaldo- Tested To The Limit. The Castrol Edge Rankings documentary that referred to Cristiano's body as an efficient football machine disclosed the forward's attributes.

Ronaldo's 2.93 meter jump
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal jumps for the ball during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between France and Portugal at Stade de France on October 11, 2020, in Paris, France. Photo by Aurelien Meunier.
Source: Getty Images

Years of training and practice enabled Cristiano to manage 1 foot 5 inch high jumps from a standing start, 2 feet and 6 inches from a two-step run up and 2 feet and 8 inches from more extended run ups in the test. In addition, years of refining his heading technique and rigorous physical training have aided him in accomplishing some of the highest vertical jumps in football history.

How does Ronaldo train to jump?

Professional footballers peak at 25 years of age and retire at 35 years of age. However, Ronaldo's strict diet and workout routine have also allowed him to outperform his peers and younger players. His athletic longevity has allowed him to stay at the top of the game at 38 years of age as of May 2023.

Top 10 highest jump in football
Portugal's top player Ronaldo jumps as he leads the national football team before the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round of 16 match between Belgium and Portugal at Estadio La Cartuja on June 27, 2021, in Seville, Spain. Photo by Thanassis Stavrakis/UEFA.
Source: Getty Images

How does Ronaldo manage to jump so high? According to the Daily Mail, Cr7's body generates 5G force jumps thanks to his devotion to plyometric and full-weight training sessions. Sports scientists who tested his free kicks said the kicks accelerated four times faster than the Apollo 11 rocket during blast off.

Upon analysis of Ronaldo's hang time, University of Chichester lecturer, Dr Neal Smith, explained that Ronaldo's suspension in the air after a jump is longer than any other football player's. Tucking his feet up during a jump slows his descent, giving him a longer suspension in the air. During the 2019 Serie A match between Real Madrid and Sampdoria, Ronaldo remained suspended in the air for about 1.5 seconds longer than an average human being's hang time of 0.53 seconds.

Who is the highest jumper in football history?
Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured mid-air) competes for a header against Mohammed Salisu of Ghana during the FIFA World Cup 2022 match between Portugal and Ghana at Stadium 974 on November 24, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Julian Finney.
Source: Getty Images

Ronaldo’s top 5 highest leaps

Because of his uncanny ability to reach incredible heights, Cristiano is one of the highest header goal scorers. Over the course of his career, the striker has made about 112 successful headshots, 29 of which led his teams to victory.

Height

Team

Opponent

Competition

Year

2.42 m

Portugal national football team

Wales national football team

EURO Cup

2016

2.44 m

Real Madrid

Osasuna

La Liga

2011

2.47 m

Juventus FC

Torino

Serie A

2018

2.56 m

Juventus FC

Sampdoria

Serie A

2019

2.93 m

Real Madrid

Manchester United

UEFA Champions League

2012

5. Portugal vs. Wales at Euro 2016 - 2.42 m

During the 2016 Euro Cup match between Portugal and Wales, Cr7 jumped 2.42 metres high to score the opening goal. The header goal became the first of two winning goals for the game, pushing Portugal up the leaderboard. For the first time in the country's history, the Portuguese national football team took home the tournament's silver after beating France.

4. Real Madrid vs Osasuna - 2.44 m

During the 2011 La Liga match between Real and Osasuna, Ronaldo bagged a 2.44m high header goal and a hat trick. The match ended with Real Madrid bagging seven goals against one for Osasuna.

3. Juventus vs Torino - 2.47 m

During the 2018 Serie A match against Torino, Ronaldo made his third-highest jump in the 84th minute scoring the winning header. His gravity-defying goal went a long way to defend the club at home against Torino's star players, who seemed to have set an earlier lead.

Who is the world's highest jumper in football?
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (pictured mid-air) wins a header against an opponent during the UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017, in London, United Kingdom. Photo by Mike Hewitt.
Source: Getty Images

2. Juventus vs Sampdoria - 2.56 m

Ronaldo made another phenomenal leap in 2019 in a Serie A match between Juventus and Sampdoria at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium. The explosive jumper stunned fans and teammates further with a 1.5 seconds-long suspension in the air before the header. In an interview with Sky Italia, he expressed mixed reactions upon learning about the jump, saying,

"Seriously? Did I jump 2.56 metres? I did not realise that. I am pleased with the result. It was a challenging game, and Sampdoria played well. The entire team showed great character – it was a good goal, and I am happy to have helped my team pick up the three points."

1. Real Madrid vs Manchester United - 2.93m

Cristiano's superhuman-like athletic abilities became apparent with his 2.93 m jump recorded during Round 16 of the UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United in 2013. In the 30th minute, Cr7 shot the near 3-metre high header past United's goalkeeper, David de Gea, equalizing the match score at 1-1.

Who jumped higher than Ronaldo?
Real Madrid's striker Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured mid-air) heads the ball past Juventus' defender Dani Alves during the UEFA Champions League final match at The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on June 3, 2017. Photo by Adrian Dennis/AFP.
Source: Getty Images

Notable mentions

According to Business Insider, Cr7 stunned the world with a 3-metre jump before the 2013 World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable vertical leap occurred during Portugal's practice session in New York City.

Who has a higher vertical, LeBron or Ronaldo?

The average basketball player in the NBA typically record jumps between 28 and 30 inches. Throughout their careers, basketball legends such as Darrel Griffith, LeBron James, and His Airness Michael Jordan recorded jumps of over 44 inches. Compared to the NBA players' jump, Ronaldo’s 41.7-inch vertical became one of the highest vertical jumps in sports history.

Did Ronaldo jump 2.93 meters?
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) of Real Madrid wins a header during a UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. LeBron James (right), #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers, leaps in the air to dunk the ball during an NBA Basketball game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on December 25, 2018, in Oakland, California. Photo by Mike Hewitt and Thearon W. Henderson.
Source: Getty Images

Throughout his career, Cr7 has distinguished himself as one of the most skilled football players in the world. At the height of his career, Ronaldo's vertical broke the world's record for the highest jump, a feat he still seeks to repeat.

READ ALSO: Who has the highest vertical in the NBA? A top 10 ranked list

Sports Brief recently published a report ranking the highest leapers in the world's leading basketball league. The NBA is gifted with hundreds of talented players with outstanding athletic abilities. This report categorizes all the NBA players with the highest jumps. Check out the link above to learn about the highest jumpers in NBA history.

Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.