“It was like watching a basketball player going up for a slam dunk.”That was Martin Keown’s reaction after watching Cristiano Ronaldo leap 2.65 metres into the air to score for Portugal in their Euro 2016 semi-final against Wales.Wales boss Chris Coleman admitted: “You cannot defend against a jump of that height.”Ronaldo is a physical freak who can jump like a basketball player and sprint like a 100m athlete. It’s helped him to play at an elite level for nearly two decades, and what continues to help him shine at the age of 35.For that header against Wales, Ronaldo was 80 centimetres off the ground when he met the ball and was airborne for 0.7 seconds.
And those comparisons to basketball players shouldn’t be taken lightly. A 2011 study by the Chichester University found that his average leap is 78cm (2ft 5in), 7cm higher than the average NBA player.
More than 100 of Ronaldo’s career goals have been headers and he’ll add a few more before he hangs up his boots.
Can the public jump as high as Ronaldo?
So, how impressive are Ronaldo’s jumping stats?
Last year, the F2 Freestylers - freestylers Jeremy Lynch and Billy Wingrove - decided to find out by seeing if the general public could jump as high as Ronaldo.
There was a £1,000 prize up for grabs for anyone who could reach 2.65m into the air, matching Ronaldo’s height against Wales.
Many people took a run-up but still couldn’t get close to the target.
Then, an Australian swaps his casual shoes for a pair of trainers to get an extra spring and manages to hit the target.
It just goes to show how impressive Ronaldo’s physical traits are.
“The fact that Ronaldo can do that, it just shows he is a freak. A freak of nature,” says celebrity Mark Wright, who makes an appearance in the video.
Any compilation video of Ronaldo’s best career goals will include a few headers, including his power attempt for Real Madrid against Manchester United in 2013.
The goal left Ronaldo’s former manager Sir Alex Ferguson stunned.
“Ronaldo's kneecap was at the height of [Patrice] Evra's head; even Lionel Messi can't do that!” the Scot said.
Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do to stop him.