René Higuita and his legendary “scorpion kick”

When the name René Higuita is mentioned, probably every football fan thinks of the so-called “scorpion”. That is, the overhead kick that the Colombian goalkeeper has somehow appropriated.

Memorable Moments is a special project of Ruiku, which recalls the most iconic moments that happened in football. Today, we look back at Rene Higuita’s scorpion.

Goalkeeper René Higuita was an inspirational, eccentric and pioneering goalkeeper who played for several South American club football teams and the Colombian national team.

Although he is considered one of the best Colombian goalkeepers in history, he is known primarily for one thing:: his scorpion kick.

Because of his risky style of play and his temperament on the soccer field, his soccer teammates nicknamed him El Loco (The Madman).

The Scorpion

Wembley Stadium saw this ‘scorpion kick’ during a friendly between England and Colombia in 1995.

Higuita was played in by England midfielder Jamie Redknapp. Instead of catching it, he swung his legs forward and kicked it away with his heels. It was a personal trick of his own devising and rehearsing.

But the fact remains that Higuita saw the offside flag. The linesman signalled offside and none of the strikers went near him. He later admitted that he would not have attempted the tackle if the offside whistle had not been blown. If he had made a mistake in the game, we would remember El Loco for something completely different.

Over time, some players began to imitate Higuita, but only the strikers, who scored some beautiful goals that way. No goalkeeper can do that nowadays.

Source: Twitter, GiveMeSport