10 of the best headers in recent football

4) Cristiano Ronaldo vs AS Roma, Champions League 2007

One of the most powerful headers that you will ever see, and it came against a Roma defense that was hailed as one of the best ever. An unstoppable strike from an unstoppable player!

Why is this a great headed goal?

If you watch the goal carefully, you will notice Ronaldo isn’t even in the box when the ball is about to be delivered by Scholes. In fact, Ronaldo seems to appear out of nowhere to head a ball that is simply looping into the box with little or no pace on it. His late run and great leap takes the defense by surprise and the emphatic header knocks the defender off his feet.

3) Martin Palermo’s 40-yard header

That’s right. Martin Palermo, playing for Boca Juniors, scored a header from 40 yards out!

Why is this a great headed goal?

Just look at it! The keeper clears the ball with force, and Palermo uses his insanely strong neck muscles to direct the ball back between the posts from a full 40 yards out. That requires serious guts and focus, and it rightfully hailed as a great header.

Fun fact: This was Palermo’s 200th goal in the Argentine first division, a wonderful way to remember a special occasion.