Several aerially dominant players have come through the doors at Everton over the years.
Duncan Ferguson is a name that would come immediately to mind. The former striker netted 36-headed goals for the Toffees. Over 50 per cent%20%E2%80%93%2036%20headed%20goals&text=The%20Everton%20legend%20has%20been,the%20Toffees%20and%20Magpies%20combined.) of his goals for the club came with his head.
It was only last season that Ferguson saw his 25-year record for the most headed goals broken by Harry Kane.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin also deserves a mention. The 26-year-old athleticism and ability in the air are some of his stronger attributes. Out of his 50 goals, 19 have come with his head.
In the latest episode of the Rest is Football Podcast, Alan Shearer has named another former Everton player when discussing aerial ability.
Alan Shearer praises former Everton midfielder
Talking alongside Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, Shearer claimed Gary Speed had the best leap he saw during his career.
“Speedo had the best leap I’ve seen. He was just under six foot. He leap and timing was unbelievable,” he said.
Speed donned the royal blue strip for 59 appearances, scoring an impressive 16 goals in the process.
Richards also named a former Everton player as one of the best headers of a ball he’s seen.
“It would say, Wayne Rooney. He could leap. I’ll go Wazza on that one.”
This isn’t the first time Speed’s leap has been mentioned. Former teammate Dean Ashton told talkSPORT in 2021 that the Welsh international could leap like “Ronaldo”.
“To watch him play as I grew up, I’ve never seen anyone leap so high and be so aggressive when they headed the ball,” he said.
“It was a joy to watch. We talk about Ronaldo’s leap. Speed had one of those. He just hung there and headed it in.
“He led by example with that big smile that he had. It’s such a sad, sad thing to have happened. But rightly so, we remember all the great things about Gary Speed.”