50 Greatest Headed Goals You Will Find on YouTube

Over the years, stories have emerged of footballers developing brain damage from consistently heading the ball.

Mind you, there is also literature which says otherwise.

However common sense dictates that if your head is exposed to constant trauma at a certain velocity day in, day out then injury to the head is more likely.

Nonetheless, this list will give tribute to 50 greatest headed goals I could find on YouTube.

This list isn’t exhaustive (some headers I couldn’t find), so comment below with a YouTube link to a headed goal you think should be on the list. 

Luca Toni

To think 11 years ago, Luca Toni was playing in Serie C. 

Massimo Taibi

Manchester United would have been better of playing Massimo Taibi as striker than as goalkeeper. 

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo defining bullet headers since 2001. 

Bernd Hölzenbein

Thought I’d include this just for uniqueness.

For your information, the inadvertent goal scorer was Bernd Hölzenbein and yes he was the one who dived to win the Germans a penalty in the 1974 FIFA World Cup final. 

François Omam-Biyik

The goal may have been unspectacular but how high did François Omam-Biyik jump?

In spite of the shock group stage loss to Cameroon, Argentina still progressed to the 1990 FIFA World Cup final. 

Miroslav Klose

14 goals in one video!

It’s nice to see Miroslav Klose succeeding for Lazio having endured such a frustrating period with Bayern Munich.

Anyone want to guess how many headed goals Klose has scored in his last eight games?

Four. 

Alan Shearer

Beautiful cross from Gary Speed, an underrated footballer, who is currently the manager of Wales. 

Peter Osgood

R.I.P Peter Osgood. 

Steve Nicol

Yes…your eyes are not deceiving you. Steve Nicol scored his header from outside the box.

Kennet Andersson

I don’t know what the commentators are saying but they seem to be enjoying Bulgaria’s thumping.

A decade later, the same thing happened.

The Swedes saved the best for last.

What a brave header from Kennet Andersson.

Martin Dahlin’s header against Russia was way better but I can’t find the video. 

Sinan Bolat

I love Sinan Bolat's Marco Tardelli-esq celebration.

Marco Van Basten

If only Marco van Basten’s career wasn’t plagued by injuries. 

Duncan Ferguson

Foreshadowed by Martin Tyler, the Goodison faithful erupted into hysteria. 

Abby Wambach

What a game!

Down a woman, the U.S. somehow came back from the death to taint Marta’s legacy.

As great the Brazilian has been, she has yet to lead her nation to a FIFA World Cup victory. 

Marcelo Salas

1998 was a purple patch for Marcelo Salas as he scored 10 goals in 10 games for the Chilean national team.

In the proceeding nine years, Salas only scored seven goals for La Roja.

Chicharito

Chicharito’s positional awareness is world class. 

Roberto Stellone

Roberto Stellone in my opinion was a better header of the ball than Christian Vieri but never had enough assistance to show off his aerial prowess.

Stellone scored an even better header against Parma (which to my memory was late in the game) but I can’t find the video. 

Angelos Charisteas

I love how having not marked Angelos Charisteas, William Gallas was like “who was marking him?”

Andrzej Szarmach

Grzegorz Lato certainly loved Andrzej Szarmach’s header. 

Mart Poom

Mart Poom was Estonia’s greatest ever player.

It was 6’5” tall goalkeeper’s only goal in 365 league games.

Hans-Jörg Butt should have paid attention to Poom’s run straight back to his goals because Butt was lobbed whilst in the mode of celebration.

Graziano Mannari

Graziano Mannari’s career defining moment. 

Chris Brass

Not even Ronaldinho has enough skill to do what Chris Brass did. 

Andy Gray

An unusual header from Andy Gray for Everton against Notts County.

Three years later, Gray would play for Notts County. 

Hernán Crespo

A class act for Chelsea, Hernán Crespo is one of the best headers of the ball in recent memory. 

Henrik Larsson

Henrik Larsson was included in the UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament. 

Marco Materazzi

Marco Materazzi once scored 12 goals during the 2000-01 season for Perugia.  

Uwe Seeler

Uwe Seeler was adept at overhead kicks and he positioned himself perfectly and deftly flicked the header over Peter Bonetti.

Martín Palermo

Three missed penalties in one international game (a record that still stands), breaking a leg whilst celebrating, a headed goal from 40 meters—no wonder they call Martín Palermo loco. 

Jone Samuelsen

Jone Samuelsen’s claim to fame was scoring the longest headed goal in history…well he had that record for little over a month.

Find out who broke that record in the next slide. 

Ryujiro Ueda

Did you know that this was Ryujiro Ueda's first professional goal?

I wonder if that goalkeeper still has a job. 

Steve Bruce

Manchester United just have a knack of winning or drawing when it seemed a loss was all but inevitable.

If you ever wondered where José Mourinho’s celebrations came from, watch Brian Kidd celebrate like a teenager scoring his first professional goal. 

Basile Boli

I recall Gary Lineker recounting how frustrating it was being marked by Basile Boli who used every single underhand trick in the book.

Paris Saint-Germain were left wondering what trick Boli pulled after an astounding diving header. 

Carles Puyol

Tarzanian leap from Carles Puyol.

I wish the Spanish played that FIFA World Cup like the Magical Magyars.

Instead after the loss against Switzerland, the Spanish resorted to controlling possession and aimlessly switching it from flank to flank. 

Terry McDermott

That chip over Dave Lawson is still talked about but surely Terry McDermott’s headed goal against Tottenham Hotspur will be the lasting memory of this great midfielder.

Plus it helps that Spurs was flogged 7-0 that day. 

Hakan Şükür

The unfortunate aspect of Hakan Şükür’s career is he never could cut it in the upper echelons of world football.

Nonetheless a great ambassador for Turkish football. 

Lionel Messi

Someone forward this to Pelé.

Cristiano Ronaldo

This video of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal against Chelsea is well produced and is a bit different from the other videos.

With regards to this goal, it broke my heart…though little did I know that John Terry would later send me into a state of melancholy. 

Roberto Bettega

Roberto Bettega played 14 years for Juventus and accumulated 42 appearances for the Azzurri. 

Ahn Jung-Hwan

I cannot believe I stumbled upon this video of South Korea vs. Italy which isn’t blurry and pixelated.

What’s unfortunate about Ahn Jung-Hwan’s golden goal (which Paolo Maldini was at fault) was it ended his Serie A career. 

Hristo Bonev

Hristo Bonev probably lived by the motto of go hard or go home. 

Didier Drogba

I remember watching this and thinking I hope Didier Drogba hasn’t sprained his neck. 

Henrik Larsson

If only Henrik Larsson played in a stronger league during his Celtic years.

It was almost as if he was playing against pub footballers. 

Yordan Letchkov

Influenced by Krassimir Balakov and Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Letchkov did his part in helping Bulgaria to a surprise semi-final run during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. 

Keith Houchen

Look at the run Keith Houchen made. That’s how you win an aerial contest—attack the ball.

For those who witnessed the goal, years later they remember Houchen’s gallantry but I hope they don’t forget that it was Dave Bennett’s pinpoint cross which created the goal. 

Jürgen Klinsmann

Jürgen Klinsmann used his diving ability to con referees but also to score brilliant headers. 

João Pinto

Took me eons to find a good quality video of this goal (it’s so hard to good quality videos of 2006 let alone 2000).

My lasting memory of João Pinto was him assaulting referee Ángel Sánchez having already been sent off.

Though this goal is a standout. 

My first priority was to find this goal.

Enjoy. 

Gabriel Batistuta

I couldn’t find the individual video that I wanted for Batigol so here’s a short compilation of his headers.

Gabriel Batistuta is my second favourite player of alltime behind the great Gianfranco Zola.

In fact, Batistuta lived around my place for a while. I should have mustered up the courage to camp out around his place and then ask for an autograph. 

Oh well… 

Pelé

Pelé’s header was beautiful but Carlos Alberto’s goal was more beautiful. 

Jared Borgetti

I’ll never forget this goal because it was as near as a perfect header could be—maybe it was the perfect header. 

A remarkably talented forward, one will always wonder how good he would have been if he played at world class European club in his pomp. 

Zinedine Zidane

Unfortunately Zinedine Zidane used his head to get himself sent off in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

However it was two headers that won France its first and so far only World Cup in 1998.

Perfect technique to shoot the ball, perfect technique to pass the ball, perfect technique to dribble with the ball and perfect technique to head the ball.

Relive those two headers and Zidane’s midfield generalship. 

Please read the Funniest Quotes in World Football History.