The 10 Greatest Heading Kings in Football of All Time!

Do you know who are the players who have scored the most headed goals in football history?

Some answers might be a little obvious — like the first place — but the rest might surprise you.

Let's find out who these stars are while I tell you some interesting facts about each of them.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 154 headed goals between 2002 and 2025.

The Portuguese player has played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He is currently shining at Al-Nassr, where he remains in top form. He became the greatest header player in history after surpassing Gerd Müller (144), holds the record for headed goals in LaLiga (46), has ten hat-tricks for Portugal, surpassed the 500-goal mark for clubs and is the only player to score in 11 consecutive Champions League matches.

Jimmy McGrory scored 147 headed goals in his career.

The Scotsman starred for Celtic between 1922 and 1937, scoring 522 goals in 501 appearances for the club. He holds the British record of 55 hat-tricks and earned the nickname “Human Torpedo” for his powerful headers. He also scored eight goals in a single match against Dunfermline Athletic on 14 January 1928 – a feat never repeated in Scottish football.

Gerd Müller scored 144 headed goals between 1964 and 1981.

“Der Bomber” played for Bayern Munich from 1964 to 1979, retiring with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1981. He was a seven-time Bundesliga top scorer, holds the record for 40 goals in a single season (1971–72), scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final and has an impressive average of 1.09 goals per game for the German national team – 68 goals in 62 appearances.

Santillana scored 128 headed goals in his career.

The Spaniard played for Racing Santander (1970–71) and Real Madrid (1971–88), playing 645 games and scoring 290 goals for the club. Interestingly, despite being a regular goalscorer, he never won the Pichichi Trophy in the Primera División. However, he scored goals in 17 consecutive LaLiga seasons — an all-time record.

Dixie Dean scored 125 headed goals between 1923 and 1940.

The Englishman excelled at Everton (1925–37) – he also had spells at Notts County and Sligo Rovers. He is the only player to score 60 league goals in a single season (1927–28) and scored 37 hat-tricks for Everton, a club record that remains unbeaten.

Mexican Jared Borgetti has scored 123 headed goals in his career.

He played for Santos Laguna, Pachuca, Bolton Wanderers and Al-Ittihad. He is the top scorer in Santos Laguna's history (205 goals), was nicknamed "El Zorro del Desierto" for his accuracy in the air and is the second highest scorer for the Mexican national team (46 goals). In the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, he was the sole top scorer with 14 goals.

Telmo Zarra scored 122 headed goals in his long career.

An idol of Athletic Bilbao (1940–57), he won six Pichichi Trophies in La Liga and scored 335 goals for Athletic Club. He is also the top scorer in the history of the Copa del Rey, with 81 goals.

Hakan Şükür has scored 115 headed goals, eighth on the list.

He played for Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers. He is the top scorer in the history of the Turkish national team (51 goals in 112 matches) and also Galatasaray's top scorer, with 297 goals in 545 matches.

Luuk de Jong has scored 116 headed goals as of April 2025.

Currently playing for PSV Eindhoven (since 2022), he was the top scorer in the Eredivisie in the 2018–19 season. He is known for his goal-scoring instinct and his relentless aerial game. Standing at 1.88 m tall, his physique also contributes to his dominance in the air.

Robert Lewandowski has scored 110 headed goals in his career.

He played for Lech Poznań, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, and currently plays for Barcelona. He is the third highest scorer in the Champions League (approx. 92 goals) and the highest scorer in the history of the Polish national team (82 goals). He also holds the record for the fastest Bundesliga hat-trick: three goals in just four minutes against Wolfsburg.

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