Rank The Top 20 Headers Of All Time

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by Bavarian14, Jun 15, 2017.

  1. Letmepost

    Letmepost Red Card

    Arsenal
    South Korea
    Apr 11, 2023
    I think this new tally probably covers 80% or more of Peter Crouch's headed assists.

    FA Cup: found 1 more headed assist, on top of the 3 described by Transfermarkt as headed assists, the footage for which is supplied below
    The 'Gerrard Final' | Highlights: 2006 FA Cup Final
    2007 01 06 Liverpool v Arsenal FA Cup 3rd Round Highlights
    2008 01 15 Liverpool v Luton Town FA Cup 3rd Round Replay BBC
    Stoke City 3-1 Wrexham - FA Cup Third Round | Goals & Highlights

    League Cup: found 1 more headed assist
    Doncaster Rovers 1-5 Tottenham Hotspur - Carling Cup Round 2 - 2009/10

    UEFA Champions League: found 1 more headed assist
    Tottenham Hotspur 4 - 1 FC Twente. Champions League.


    UEFA Champions League Qualifying: found 1 more headed assist, on top of the 2 described by Transfermarkt as headed assists, the footage for which is supplied below
    Champions 2005 -Kaunas - Liverpool
    2006 (August 9) Liverpool (England) 2-Maccabi Haifa (Israel) 1 (Champions League)
    2007 (August 15) Toulouse (France) 0-Liverpool (England) 1 (Champions League)
    2008 01 15 Liverpool v Luton Town FA Cup 3rd Round Replay BBC

    English First Division/Championship: found 3 more headed assists, on top of the 2described by Transfermarkt as headed assists, the footage for which is supplied below
    QPR v Gillingham - 2000/01
    QPR v Tranmere - 2000/01
    Norwich City 2003-04 Season Review
    Highlights: Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers

    National team: 2 described by Transfermarkt as headed assists, the footage for which is supplied below
    2007 (June 6) Estonia 0-England 3 (EC Qualifier).mpg

    2010 (May 24) England 3-Mexico 1 (Friendly).avi


    Peter Crouch's career tally of headed assists

    EPL: 34 headed assists (28 headed assists with video footage I could find)
    English First Division / Championship: 4 headed-assist
    UEFA Champions League: 1 headed-assist
    UEFA Champions League Qualifying: 3 headed-assists
    FA Cup: 4 headed-assists
    League Cup: 1 headed assist
    England National Team: 2 headed-assists

    Overall: 49 headed-assists

    I tried my best to eliminate any headed assists that had blatant deflections off a defender, or was chested-down, instead of being knocked-down with the head, but it could be possible that a few of these assists are not of OPTA standard.

    These are the types of "headed assists" I personally thought were not OPTA standard, and decided not to add to the tally, there's probably a couple more, but I forgot which games they are for now.

    Norwich City 2003-04 Season Review
    (the ball bounces up, which cannot be possible in my eyes from the downward motion of Peter Crouch's head, which means a defender deflection took place in my opinion)
    2008 (June 1) Trinidad and Tobago 0-England 3 (Friendly).avi
    (Transfermarkt credits Peter Crouch for the final touch, but I think it came off the defender)

    The tally would most likely surpass 50 the more lenient you get with deflected non-OPTA assists and rebounds, and there seems to be pre-assists with the head also, but that is a topic for another day.
     
  2. Buyo

    Buyo Member

    Real Madrid
    Spain
    Dec 20, 2020
    With the collaboration of @Danny Gaucho I have found one more goal that make Santillana go from 132 to 133 headed goals. I update the data (in red what I have modified now):

    - 1st League Division: 77 headed goals out of a total of 186 goals; 41.4% ratio
    - 2nd League Division: 8 headed goals out of a total of 16 goals; 50.0% ratio
    - Spanish Cup: 17 headed goals out of a total of 49 goals; 34.7% ratio
    - League Cup: 2 headed goals out of a total of 8 goals; 25.0% ratio
    - European Cup: 8 headed goals out of a total of 21 goals; 38.1% ratio
    - Uefa Cup: 7 headed goals out of a total of 15 goals; 46.7% ratio
    - Cup Winners' Cup: 2 headed goals out of a total of 11 goals; 18.2% ratio
    - Spanish National Team A: 9 headed goals out of a total of 15 goals; 60.0% ratio
    - Spanish National Team B: 1 headed goals out of a total of 1 goals; 100.0% ratio
    - Olympic team and other national teams: 2 headed goals out of a total of 3 goals; 66.7% ratio

    Santillana career total: 133 headed goals out of 325 total goals; 40.9% ratio

    On the other hand I put a summary of the hat tricks and doublets of Santillana marked with the head:

    - Three goals: 1
    Spanish Cup: 1

    - Two goals: 14
    La Liga First Division: 7
    La Liga Second Division: 1
    Spanish Cup: 2
    Uefa Cup: 1
    League Cup: 1
    Spain NT: 2

    - One goal: 102
    La Liga First Division: 63

    La Liga Second Division: 6
    Spanish Cup: 10
    European Cup: 8
    Cup Winners Cup: 2
    Uefa Cup: 5
    Spain NT: 5
    Spain NT “B”: 1
    Spain Olympic Team: 2

    I will also list the goals he has scored with each team:

    - Real Madrid: 113 goals
    - Spain NT (A, B and Olympic Team): 12 goals
    - Racing Santander: 8 goals
     
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  3. Buyo

    Buyo Member

    Real Madrid
    Spain
    Dec 20, 2020
    The following link lists the 162 headed goals scored by Jimmy McGrory, placing him as the all-time leading scorer in this category, five goals ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

    https://ntpd.eu/NEQv6/

    What I don't know is whether all of the Scottish player's matches have already been analyzed, or if, on the contrary, this tally of 162 goals could still increase.

    The all-time top 5 is as follows:

    1- Jimmy McGrory: 162 goals
    2- Cristiano Ronaldo: 157 goals
    3- Fred Roberts: 134 golas
    4- Carlos Santillana: 133 goals
    5- Mario Jardel: 132 goals
     
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  4. Mister Football

    Palmeiras
    Brazil
    Jun 28, 2026
    #129 Mister Football, Jul 18, 2026
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2026
    The top ones from Brazilian football:
    • BALTAZAR - Corinthians (1945-57) – often regarded as the best of all time in Brazil
    • PELÉ - Santos (1956-74)
    • FLÁVIO MINUANO - Internacional (1961-64), Corinthians (1965-69), Fluminense (1969-71)
    • DADÁ MARAVILHA - Atlético Mineiro (1968-72)
    • LEIVINHA - Palmeiras (1971-75), Atético Madrid (1975-79)
    • JARDEL - Grêmio (1995-96), Porto (1996-2000)
    All forward players, but I'm pretty sure you could get some defenders in as well.
     
  5. msioux75

    msioux75 Member+

    Jan 8, 2006
    Lima, Peru
    Leivinha is a surprising name, for me, among the greatest headers.

    I know him more as a left winger, and as a left midfielder at Atletico Madrid, sometimes, I think


    btw, a good info about the top brazilian headers
     
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  6. Mister Football

    Palmeiras
    Brazil
    Jun 28, 2026
    #131 Mister Football, Jul 18, 2026
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2026
    At the legendary Palmeiras’ “Second Academy” that dominanted Brazil from 1972 to 1974, Leivinha was a right inside forward.

    The wingers were Edu Bala and Nei, the midfielders were the iconic duo Dudu and Ademir da Guia and the striker was César “Maluco” Lemos.

    That squad had nothing less than SIX players called up for the Brazil national team that disputed the World Cup in 1974 (Leão, Luís Pereira, Alfredo Mostarda, Ademir da Guia, Leivinha and César) and is widely regarded as the greatest ever assembled by Palmeiras up to this day.

    Leivinha was not only a top player with the ball on his foot, but also unbelievable with his head. He was starting for Brazil at WC 74 until he suffered an injury in the third match, against Zaire, and had to be benched for the rest of the competition.

    He passed away last month, aged 76.

    https://imortaisdofutebol.com/esquadrao-imortal-palmeiras-1972-1974/
     
  7. Mister Football

    Palmeiras
    Brazil
    Jun 28, 2026
    He was a BEAST.

     
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  8. msioux75

    msioux75 Member+

    Jan 8, 2006
    Lima, Peru
    #133 msioux75, Jul 18, 2026
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2026
    Yeah, you're right.
    Checking Placar's reports, Leivinha is listed those years as Ponta de Lança
     
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  9. Mister Football

    Palmeiras
    Brazil
    Jun 28, 2026
    That’s it. A second striker.
     

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