When it comes to heading the ball towards goal, few players in history can match Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Manchester United superstar is an absolute freak of nature in that regard and much of it is down to the fact the he possesses a leap that a professional basketball player would be envious of.

If a teammate crosses the ball into the penalty area, Ronaldo is able to time his jump to perfection and then hang in the air to make sure he makes the desired contact.

Down the years, we've all seen the 36-year-old perform some superhuman-like leaps in the penalty area.

Perhaps the most famous came during his three years at Juventus, when Ronaldo defied the laws of gravity to score a header at the back post versus Sampdoria.

Revisit that classic goal here...

Video: Ronaldo's jaw-dropping leap vs Sampdoria

That footage always leaves us open-mouthed, as it just shouldn't be possible for a footballer to leap like that when looking to score a goal.

However, that may not be the highest Ronaldo has jumped on a football pitch.

When he was at Real Madrid scoring goals for fun, the Portugal international managed to leap in such outrageous fashion that his head was actually slightly above the crossbar.

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Unfortunately, the snippet of athletic magnificence during a Copa del Rey match versus Osasuna in 2014 resulted in Ronaldo accidentally injuring teammate Karim Benzema.

Take a look for yourself here...

Video: Ronaldo jumps higher than the goal - and accidentally injures Benzema

You have to feel a bit sorry for poor ol' Benzema, but take nothing away from Ronaldo's scarcely believable spring into the air.

If he'd guided the ball into the back of the net with his head instead of leaving a teammate in a heap on the turf, we'd be talking about a truly memorable goal.

Ronaldo certainly scored enough for Los Blancos, though.

Ronaldo with Real Madrid

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In his nine years at the club, the supreme athlete netted an astonishing 450 goals in just 438 appearances across all competitions.

The word 'legend' really doesn't do Ronaldo justice, does it?

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