Ronaldo’s header is a cut above the rest
When Ronaldo is in the perfect position for his headers, his high leap, long hang time, and power make him a huge threat for defenders.
Even though Cristiano Ronaldo has moved past his peak, he continues to break records. The Portuguese striker scored his 145th headed goal on July 31 after soaring above the Monastir defense in Tunisia, adding another feather to his already-full cap.’
He climbed to the top of the list of football players with the most header goals in history thanks to the success. With his world-record-breaking header, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner defeated German star Gerd Muler and led Al Nassr to a 4-1 victory in the Arab Club Championship Cup game.
Ronaldo’s lightning-quick speed and exceptional agility made him a prodigy from an early age, but his heading skill did not stand out. The now-38-year-old, blessed with a 6’1″ stature, worked hard as a child to make sure that no one in the world could match him in aerial bouts.
Why Cristiano Ronaldo is so good with his headers
When Ronaldo is in the ideal position for his headers, three characteristics make him such a huge threat to defenders. His high-flying leap, his extraordinary hang time, and the power he produces.
The leap
Cristiano Ronaldo simply towers above everyone else when he jumps into the box. When he scored a header for Real Madrid against his former team Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League 2012–13, his greatest jump was recorded at an astounding 2.93m.
Because of his degree of fitness, he was still able to outperform everyone else even in the final stages of his career.
The football player underwent some biomechanical testing at the University of Chichester, and the findings showed that he could jump 7 cm higher than the typical basketball player.
The test findings revealed that Ronaldo could leap up to 78 cm in the air after a run up and could reach heights of 44 cm from a standing start. His strong thighs were cited by the study as the cause of this.
The ‘hang time’
The duration of an athlete’s hang time is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as their time in the air.
Ronaldo frequently astounds football fans with his feats of defying gravity. According to a story in the Telegraph, Ronaldo was hung in the air for almost 1.5 seconds after scoring a goal against Sampdoria in the 2019 Serie A. He’s hung in the air for approximately a second on multiple occasions.
For reference, the survey states that a human hangs out for 0.53 seconds on average. Given that a basketball player’s longest hang time is 0.92 seconds, Ronaldo’s figures are even more astounding.
Professor from the University of Chichester, Dr. Neal Smith, examined Ronaldo’s extraordinary leap.
Ronaldo’s suspension in the air following a jump is the longest of any football player, according to a Daily Mail story by Smith. Smith cited the fact that the Portuguese striker tucks his feet up during a jump to prolong his descent and lengthen his suspension in the air as one explanation.
The power
According to the above-mentioned University of Chichester study, Ronaldo experiences 5G of G-force upon takeoff. The great footballer’s long workout sessions in the gym to build his muscles give him this strength. According to a Daily Mail article, his thighs measure 62 cm in circumference.
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