A header is a technique that is used in association football to control the ball using the head to pass, shoot, or clear. This can be done from a standing, jumping, or diving position. [1] Heading is a common technique and is used by players in practically every match. Although a useful technique in football, heading carries significant health risks, particularly to the brain, and governing bodies have taken measures to address these risks.
In general, a forward uses a header to score a goal, while a defender mostly uses a header to prevent the scoring of a goal by the opponent. When the ball is in the air, a header is often the best option because a player can’t make contact with the ball using their hands. Most header goals are scored as a result of a cross or a corner. In these situations, one attacking player passes the ball across the goal in the air, and another player (either standing, jumping or diving) strikes the ball towards the goal with their head. [2]
During a football match, a player might head the ball six to twelve times, on average. [3]
Footballers such as Santillana, Tim Cahill, Marco van Basten, Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Carroll, Didier Drogba, Alvaro Morata, Harry Kane, Luuk de Jong, Olivier Giroud, Gareth Bale, Javier Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, Peter Crouch, Miroslav Klose, Giorgio Chiellini, Ali Daei and Abby Wambach are some examples of players who are known for the quality of their headers. [4] [5] [6]
Heading the ball, whether in practice or a competitive match, carries health risks that can become apparent immediately or after a few years. Additionally, injury can occur from just one instance of heading the ball or an accumulation of repetitive headers.[ citation needed ]
The most common injury associated with heading is concussions, which account for 22% of all football injuries. Subconcussive injuries are also a concern when heading the ball. While symptoms for subconcussive injuries are not as apparent as a concussion, damage is still being dealt to the brain. In some cases, subconcussive injuries can be more severe than concussions in the long run.
A 2019 study shows that footballers, with the exclusion of goal keepers, are three and a half times more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative disease than the general population. In 2021, research had been published that shows defenders are at greater risk of developing dementia. [7]
Jeff Astle, a former English professional football player, was ruled to have died from an industrial disease which was linked to heading of footballs. Former Wales professional football player, Alan Jarvis, was ruled to have died in a similar fashion. [8]
In 2020, the Football Association (FA) provided guidance that advised coaches against practicing headers in practice for children aged 11 and under. They also advised coaches to introduce light heading practice for children playing in U-12 to U-16. They even made recommendations for professional football, advising only 10 high-force headers in practice per week. [9]
In July 2022, the FA announced they received approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to trial the removal of deliberate heading in matches for those playing U-12 and under. The trial will run for the 2022–23 season and will be coordinated with the County FA network, leagues, clubs, and schools. If successful, the FA will then apply to IFAB for a law change. If approved, deliberate heading will be banned in matches at the U-12 level and below starting in the 2023–24 season. [10]
In 2016, the United States Soccer Foundation implemented measures to mitigate the risks of heading the ball. The first is that children aged 10 and under cannot head the ball in practice or in games. The second limits heading for children aged 12 and 13. They are allowed to practice heading for only 30 minutes a week, and the total number of headers per player, per week cannot exceed 20. There are no restrictions on heading in a game for children aged 12 and 13. [11]
In addition to the restrictions above, the US Soccer Federation has also updated their rules for matches. Under the new rules, if a player aged 10 and under deliberately heads a ball in a match, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team. Additionally, if a player is substituted from a match due to a suspected head injury, that substitution does not count towards the team's total number of allowed substitutions. [12]
Although the risks of heading a football cannot be eliminated, recommendations have been made to mitigate those risks. The first is to learn the proper technique. There are ways to strike a football with the head that decreases harmful impact, such as stabilizing the neck. One can also wear headgear to reduce impact.[ citation needed ] Additionally, strengthening neck muscles can help reduce the risk of harm. [13]
Another recommendation is to change the properties of the football being used. Studies have shown that a ball with lower air pressure and lower mass reduce acceleration and impact to the brain. While this may not be a feasible option for competitive matches, experts suggest implementing these changes to balls being used during practice. [13]
Players in Bold are still active. At least 100 goals.As of 25 November 2024.
| R | Player | Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cristiano Ronaldo | 2002– | 152 |
| 2 |  Jimmy McGrory | 1921–1935 | 147 |
| 3 |  Gerd Müller | 1963–1981 | 144 |
| 4 |  Santillana | 1970–1988 | 128 |
| 5 |  Dixie Dean | 1923–1940 | 125 |
| 6 |  Jared Borgetti | 1994–2010 | 123 |
| 7 |  Telmo Zarra | 1939–1957 | 122 |
| 8 |  Hakan Şükür | 1987–2008 | 115 |
| 9 |  Luuk de Jong | 2008– | 111 |
| 10 |  Robert Lewandowski | 2005– | 107 |
| 11 |  Sándor Kocsis | 1946–1965 | 106 |
| 12 |  Aleksandar Mitrović | 2011– | 102 |
| 13 |  Alfredo Di Stéfano | 1945–1966 | 100 |
At least four goals.
| Player | Year | Score | G | Div. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dondinho | 1939 | Yuracan 6–2 Smart Futebol Clube | 5 | 6 | Dondinho scored 5 goals with headers in Yuracan's win against their arch-rivals in the 1939 regional interior Championship of Itajubá, Minas Gerais. [14] His record of 5 headers has not been broken ever since. |
| Jimmy McGrory | 1926 | Celtic 6–2 Aberdeen | 4 | 1 | Jimmy McGrory scored four headed goals in 1926–27 Scottish Division One match, against Aberdeen, on 23 October 1926. |
| Eddie Reynolds | 1963 | Wimbledon 4–2 Sutton United | 4 | 9 | Reynolds scored all of his side's four goals with his head in a 4–2 victory over Sutton United in the 1963 FA Amateur Cup final at Wembley Stadium. [15] He is the only player in history to have scored a hat-trick of headers in a cup final of any kind. |
| Malcolm Macdonald | 1975 | England 5–0 Cyprus | 4 | NT | Macdonald scored all of his side's five goals in a 5–0 victory over Cyprus in the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying at Wembley Stadium, four of which were headers. [16] He is the only player in history to have scored a hat-trick of headers in an international match. |
| Fernando Morientes | 2002 | Real Madrid 7–0 Las Palmas | 4 | 1 | Morientes scored five goals against Las Palmas in La Liga, four of which were headers. [17] Morientes is the only player to score four goals from headers in a single match in the 21st century. |
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport.
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby league, and rugby union.
Offside is one of the laws in association football, codified in Law 11 of the Laws of the Game. The law states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts, except the hands and arms, are in the opponents' half of the pitch, and closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a footballer puts a ball into their own net.
Jeffrey Astle was an English professional footballer who played the majority of his career as a centre-forward for West Bromwich Albion. Nicknamed "the King" by the club's fans, he played 361 games for them and scored 174 goals. He also won five caps for England without scoring.
The Laws of the Game are the codified rules of association football. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.
A corner kick, commonly known as a corner, is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is taken from the corner of the field of play nearest to the place where the ball crossed the goal line.
Christopher John Nowinski is an American neuroscientist, author and retired professional wrestler. After extensively researching concussions in American football, Nowinski co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he is currently CEO and co-founded Boston University's CTE Center. As a professional wrestler, he is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Chris Harvard and later under his real name.
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is performing poorly, or for tactical reasons. A player who has been substituted during a match takes no further part in the game, in games played under the standard International Football Association Board Laws of the Game.
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In the sport of association football, fouls and misconduct are acts committed by players which are deemed by the referee to be unfair and are subsequently penalised. An offence may be a foul, misconduct or both depending on the nature of the offence and the circumstances in which it occurs. Fouls and misconduct are addressed in Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. A foul is an unfair act by a player, deemed by the referee to contravene the game's laws, that interferes with the active play of the match. Fouls are punished by the award of a free kick to the opposing team. A list of specific offences that can be fouls are detailed in Law 12 of the Laws of the Game ; these mostly concern unnecessarily aggressive physical play and the offence of handling the ball. An infringement is classified as a foul when it meets all the following conditions:
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Concussions and play-related head blows in American football have been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has led to player deaths and other debilitating symptoms after retirement, including memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, stress, and sleep disturbances.
Concussion, a type of mild traumatic brain injury that is caused by a direct or indirect hit to the head, body, or face is a common injury associated with sports and can affect people of all ages. A concussion is defined as a "complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by biomechanical forces". A concussion should be suspected in any person who falls or has a hit to their face or their body and has a visible sign/clue that they may have a concussion or experiences any symptoms of concussion. The Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6) can be used to help non-medically trained people manage sport related concussion on the sideline to ensure that they are directed to the appropriate care. Symptoms of concussion can be felt right away or appear over the first 1-2 days after an accident. If an athlete has a suspected sport-related concussion they should not return to play that day, not be left alone for the first three hours after their injury, not drive until cleared by a medical professional, and not return to any activity that has a risk of hitting their head or falling until they have a medical assessment. If the person has worsening symptoms or any 'red flag symptoms', they need immediate medical attention. Concussions cannot be seen on X-rays or CT scans.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a blow, jolt or penetration to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. Most TBIs are caused by falls, jumps, motor vehicle traffic crashes, being struck by a person or a blunt object, and assault. Student-athletes may be put at risk in school sports, creating concern about concussions and brain injury. A concussion can be caused by a direct blow to the head, or an indirect blow to the body that causes reactions in the brain. The result of a concussion is neurological impairment that may resolve spontaneously but may also have long-term consequences.
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