René Higuita

World Famous People

René Higuita

René Higuita (born August 28, 1966 in Medellin) is a Colombian football goalkeeper, who played 69 international matches for the Colombian team, in which he scored three goals.

René HiguitaHe is famed for inventing the "scorpion kick", a clearance where the keeper jumps forward, places his hands on the pitch and then kicks the ball away with his heels. This save earned him wide admiration when he pulled it off in a friendly against England in 1995, blocking a shot by Jamie Redknapp. It ranked 94th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.

Higuita was imprisoned in 1993, after getting involved in a drug cartel kidnapping. Acting as a go-between for the drug barons Pablo Escobar and Carlos Molina, he was largely responsible for securing the release of the Molina's daughter by delivering the ransom money. He received $64,000 for his services, which breaks Colombian law as it is an offence to profit from a kidnapping. He was incarcerated for 7 months before being released without charge. In another scandal, he tested positive for cocaine on November 23, 2004 while playing for an Ecuadorian football club.

On the pitch, Higuita is known for having an eccentric playing style, taking unnecessary risks, and he actively tries to score goals. He is also prone to blunders, and it was a mistake by him that knocked Colombia out of the 1990 World Cup, where he seemingly dithered with the ball at his feet 35 yards from goal enabling Cameroon striker Roger Milla to dispossess him, and Milla then put his team through to the quarter-finals.

Higuita is great friends with Diego Maradona and played in the Argentinian's farewell match in 2001.