5 players who have scored the most headers in club football in the 21st century

Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo
Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo

#3 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 77 goals

1. FC Köln v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga
1. FC Köln v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga

Arguably the best striker of his generation and currently The Best FIFA Men’s player, Robert Lewandowski, has mastered the art of goalscoring.

The Bayern Munich maverick is an excellent reader of the game, can score from every angle, and is always on the lookout for goalscoring opportunities. His insatiable hunger for goals has turned him into a generational goalscorer, allowing him to outshine even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Poland international, who made the switch from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich in 2014, has scored 477 goals in 330 matches in club football. 77 of his 477 strikes have been headers.

As the numbers suggest, Lewandowski has a strong penchant for putting his head on the ball.

Unsurprisingly, he has won quite a few matches with his headed efforts. So far, Lewandowski has scored 18 match-winning headers in his career, the last of which came against Freiburg in the Bundesliga back in 2019-20.


#2 Luuk de Jong (FC Barcelona) - 77 goals

Granada CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander
Granada CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

Current Barcelona striker Luuk de Jong is the best header of the ball in La Liga right now, at least statistically. De Jong is an orthodox centre-forward, one who is never afraid of going into battle. He is not particularly quick, but his off-the-ball movement and aerial ability more than make up for it.

Seeing the Netherlands international at Barcelona might seem weird to regular followers of the club, as Barcelona have rarely been dependent on scoring through crosses. But without Messi there to pull the strings, De Jong's directness has not hurt.

In his club career, the former Sevilla man has scored 77 headers, 21 of which have been match-winning strikes.

De Jong’s last match-winning headed goal came this season itself, in the 1-0 win over Mallorca on La Liga matchday 19.


#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 110 goals

Brentford v Manchester United - Premier League
Brentford v Manchester United - Premier League

Unsurprisingly, Manchester United no.7 Cristiano Ronaldo has occupied the top spot on our list and by a landslide. In club football, the Portuguese ace has scored 688 goals in 455 matches, out of which 110 have come off his head.

Ronaldo also tops the list in terms of match-winning headers. He has scored 28 match-winning headers in his career, which in itself is an extraordinary statistic.

Ronaldo, who was recently given a special award by FIFA for becoming the leading goalscorer in international football, currently operates as a centre-forward for United. He uses his world-class off-the-ball movement to get away from defenders and strike when least expected.

Set to turn 37 in February, Ronaldo is determined to end his career on a high. Competitive as he is, we won’t be surprised if he recovers from his rough patch and gives his tally one last tangible boost this year.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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