25 Lethal Headers in World Football

The most lethal headers in football usually have a couple of things that separate them from the rest.

These guys are usually in the right place at the right time. They have great jumping abilities as well as power and timing to get things right in the air.

The players on this list are a threat in the air on offense, and you would expect them to score from a header most of the time.

Here are the most lethal headers in World Football.

Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill has remarkable ups for his height, 5'10", and it shows in the number of goals he scores with his head.

Miroslav Klose

Remember the 2002 World Cup? Yeah, well, all of Miroslav Klose's goals in that tournament were headers. He's had a knack for doing that throughout his career.

Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch may not necessarily be prolific in the air, but he is lethal when given the opportunity. When you are 6'7", that had better be a good part of your game.

Jan Koller

I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that Jan Koller probably scored over 90 percent of his goals with headers. That would make him pretty lethal and prolific.

Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack is another good bet in the air. He usually puts his 6'2" frame to good use on set pieces and in open play.

Fernando Morientes

Fernando Morientes formed a solid partnership with Raul back in the day. At Real Madrid, and throughout the rest of his career, he was great in the air.

Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert had a very solid all-round game. His heading was absolutely lethal, and he had some great skills on the ground to add to that.

Oliver Bierhoff

For some reason, I always thought Oliver Bierhoff was smaller than 6'3". It does help explain why he was so good at scoring headers, though.

Luca Toni

Luca Toni's aerial prowess cannot really be questioned. He has certainly been a good finisher throughout his career, and part of that is down to him being so lethal in the air.

Gabriel Batistuta

Gabriel Batistuta was just as good with his head as he was he was with other parts of his game. An all-round great finisher, he was definitely helped by his ability to score from headers.

Hakan Sukur

Hakan Sukur is probably Turkey's greatest forward ever. Like a lot of other excellent forwards in the game, he had a terrific ability to score both in the air and on the ground.

Jared Borgetti

Jared Borgetti was definitely a lethal header.  He had immense ability in the air and probably scored one of the most difficult headers of all-time in the 2002 World Cup.

Andy Gray

Andy Gray is another player who usually got the better of his opponents in the air. He was very well known for that part of his game during his playing days.

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer's strong presence in the air was just a part of his attacking arsenal. It was a very lethal piece, though.

Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the reasons Cristiano Ronaldo is among the best players in the world is his ability to finish in the air.

Pele

Pele had a great leaping ability and a very powerful header during his playing days. His ability to score like this and in all other ways made him the player he was.

Henrik Larsson

Henrik Larsson was pretty strong in the air despite his height, 5'10". As you can see in the picture, his jumping ability is a good reason why.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk

Along with his spectacular free kicks, Pierre van Hooijdonk put his 6'4" frame to good use in the air as well.

Nemanja Vidic

Nemanja Vidic is fantastic in the air when it comes to both attacking and defending headers. He is most definitely a threat on attacking set-pieces for Manchester United.

John Terry

John Terry is another defender who is a constant aerial threat on attacking set-pieces. He uses his strength and power to get himself on the ball and hits the target more often than not.

Mario Jardel

Mario Jardel was a big threat in the air for his opponents. He made the best of his height and positional awareness to put in a number of goals with his head.

Martin Palermo

Martin Palermo was a great goal-scorer for Boca Juniors, especially during his second spell. He was strong in the air and scored a good amount goals as a result of that.

John Carew

John Carew's strength and height are a big part of his ability to dominate players in the air.

Brian McBride

Brian McBride may not have some of the same stature as most of the players on this list, but just like them, he was a constant threat in the air for both club and country.

David Trezeguet

During his time with Juventus, David Trezeguet made a name for himself as one of the best strikers in the game. His lethal heading ability was a big part of that.