Bullet Header
Better actionChecked
In one sentence
Headed shots get a 4 km/h higher speed limit, lose less accuracy when he heads across his body, jumps or is off balance, and mishit half as often when an opponent challenges. He does not win more aerial duels.
Who does this affect?
Both: it works the same for the player you control and for CPU players. The team AI also counts it when picking a cross target.
How it works
Every effect is on headed shots only, not headed passes or clearances. The header's speed limit rises by a flat 4 km/h. The accuracy penalties for heading away from where he faces, for jumping headers and for awkward body shapes are made smaller. When an opponent challenges, the chance that the challenge makes him mishit is halved. It adds no animation and no Heading points.
When it applies
- Headed shot, any distance, any situation.
- Facing penalty: when the header goes 45°–135° away from the direction he faces.
- Jumping-header penalty: on jumping headers.
- Awkward body shape: on the awkward contact types.
- Contested header: one to three opponents close enough to challenge.
Without it
The same headers with a 4 km/h lower speed limit, bigger facing, jumping and awkward-shape penalties, and the full mishit chance under a challenge.
Which stats it reads
Heading compared with opponent
With Jump, Physical Contact and height, it decides who wins a contested header and how big the mishit chance is; the skill then halves that chance. It helps most when he loses the duel on stats. Heading also sets the rest of the header's speed limit (up to about 10 km/h at 99 on a full header); the +4 is the same at every Heading.
Jump compared with opponent
Part of the duel score; the skill does not change it.
Physical Contact compared with opponent
Part of the duel score; the skill does not change it.
In numbers
Heading → · km/h
Chart values
| 60 | 49.1 | 45.1 |
| 80 | 53.0 | 49.0 |
| 99 | 59.0 | 55.0 |
| 120 | 64.2 | 60.2 |
Common questions
Does Bullet Header win more aerial duels?
Short answerNo
The duel score is calculated without this skill; it only halves the mishit chance after the duel.
Does it add Heading points?
Short answerNo
It reduces specific penalties instead of adding to Heading.
Does it help headed passes?
Short answerNo
Every effect first checks that the header is a shot.
Not yet confirmed
- What each kind of mishit does to the ball is read as a badly struck ball.
- Which header animations count as jumping headers has not been identified.
- Whether headers usually reach their speed limit, so whether the +4 km/h shows in full, was not measured.
The maths
DetailHeaded shots only; headed passes and clearances are untouched.
DetailFacing penalty: accuracy loss 0.15 × (share of the 45°–135° turn)² instead of 0.20 ×.
DetailJumping headers keep 95 % / 90 % of their accuracy instead of 92 % / 87 %.
DetailHalving the contested mishit chance matters most for players who lose aerial duels on stats.
LimitThe +4 km/h raises the header's speed limit; how often a header actually reaches that limit was not measured.
DetailNot used by this skill: Weak Foot Accuracy — headers never get a weak-foot penalty.; Height — counts in the duel score (half the difference in cm), but the skill does not change it.
Booster points per stat
HeadingBooster points count here.
JumpBooster points count here.
Physical ContactBooster points count here.