Cristiano Ronaldo stunned rivals when he turned into prime Michael Jordan for gravity-defying goal

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Cristiano Ronaldo has proven time and time again that he is a freak athlete.

He has achieved things on a football pitch that many other players can only dream of, and his goal-scoring catalogue alone will be remembered for generations to come.

Ronaldo has scored spectacular bicycle kicks, smashed in 40-yard screamers and curled in beauties from seemingly impossible angles.

And yet one goal, scored in December 2019, stands out above the rest.

Ronaldo netted the second for Juventus in a 2-1 win against Sampdoria five years ago, and his effort is etched in the memory of everyone who witnessed it.

The Portuguese star produced a gravity-defying leap of 71cm as he met Alex Sandro’s cross at the back post at a height of 8.39ft –
which is higher than the crossbar (8ft) – to guide a header home.

When Ronaldo made connection with the ball, his waist was at the height of the defender’s head.

And yes, it was a leap that the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James and James Harden would have been proud of.

“Ronaldo did something that you see in the NBA, he was up in the air for an hour and a half,” Claudio Ranieri, who was Sampdoria manager at the time, said.

“There's nothing you can say about it, you can only congratulate him and move on."

Plenty of others were left comparing the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player to an NBA star, too.

"His feet were higher than the crossbar … it's only a slight exaggeration. Ridiculous leap," pundit Gary Lineker wrote on X.

“Cristiano Ronaldo out-jumping most NBA players to score this stunning header against Sampdoria is incredible,” another fan posted at the time.

“The greatest header of the ball in the history of football,” a third concluded.

Comparisons to the NBA weren't lost on Ronaldo himself, who tweeted ‘CR7 AIR JORDAN!!’ after the match in reference to MJ's gravity-beating slam dunks.

However, the footballer’s impressive jump against Sampdoria didn’t quite match that of the NBA legend – but he has come close on another occasion.

According to the Olympics website, Ronaldo’s highest jump measures 2.93 metres (9.61ft), and was recorded while playing for Madrid against Manchester United in the Champions League back in 2013.

Considering his height is 1.87m, his vertical leap during that game can be measured at approximately 1.06m – or 41.7 inches.

Jordan's highest vertical leap, an NBA record, measures 48 inches.

However, Ronaldo can still be very proud of his efforts, considering the average vertical jump of NBA players is around 28 to 30 inches.