Marco Materazzi compares Cristiano Ronaldo's wonder goal with his own for Italy

Following Cristiano Ronaldo's wonder goal for Juventus last night, former Italy and Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi has drawn comparisons with his similar goal against Czech Republic in the 2006 World Cup.

Materazzi posted a picture of Cristiano's unreal leap for his goal alongside his own goal on Instagram and captioned it,

"Well done Air CR7! Almost like me. Congratulations for the goal."

At the start of the second half of the Juventus-Sampdoria fixture last night, full-back Alex Sandro produced one of the most sumptuous crosses to float the ball into the middle of the penalty area which was met by a towering Ronaldo. As the match ended 2-1, there is no doubt that the Portuguese international's header proved critical in earning three points for the Serie A champions.

On social media, many lauded the goal, comparing it to old ones from the past and 'photoshopping' Ronaldo's jump in other contexts, such as in space.

Some loyal supporters even compared the jump to that of a NBA player. Some even contended that long term rival, Lionel Messi wouldn't be able to score such a goal in his career.

The Italian World Cup winner was quick to join the social media discussion as he reminded the world that his leap in the 2006 World Cup game was at an even bigger height (2.70 meters) compared to the Juventus forward's goal last night (2.56 meters).

The Nerazzurri centre-back infamously known for the Zinedine Zidane headbutt incident, is six centimeters taller than Cristiano and was also a great threat in aerial situations all throughout his career. Even Italy's equaliser in the 2006 World Cup final came from a header by Matterazzi.

To go deeper into the intricacies of the two headers into question, it was the Portuguese captain's suspension time in air (0.92 seconds) which made the goal more remarkable compared to numerous similar goals in the past.

A better view of Ronaldo’s header! Look at the Jump and how long he stayed in the air, and the placing of the ball!! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/6gZtDbPRmx

— JAGS (@EtniesJags) December 18, 2019

Juventus will play Lazio on Sunday in the Italian Supercoppa, as the UEFA Nations' League winner continues his quest to challenge Lionel Messi for the coveted Balon d'Or next season in addition to winning more trophies with the Italian powerhouse, especially the UEFA Champions League.