René Higuita

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

He is famed for inventing the "scorpion kick", a clearance where the keeper jumps forward, arches his legs over his head and in doing so, kicks the ball away with his heels. This save earned him wide admiration when he pulled it off in a friendly game against England in September, 1995, blocking a mistaken cross by Jamie Redknapp. [1] It ranked 94th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.

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 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 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. Commenting on the case, he has stated that "I'm a footballer, I didn't know anything about kidnapping laws." [2] Because of the term in prison Higuita was not fit for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In another scandal, he tested positive for cocaine on November 23, 2004 while playing for an Ecuadorian football club. [citation needed]

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

René Higuita is married to Magnolia, with whom he has two children, Andrés and Pamela. He also has a daughter, Cindy Carolina, from a previous marriage.

At the start of 2005 Higuita participated in reality TV La isla de los famosos: Una aventura pirata (The Island of the Famous: a Pirate Adventure): a show likened to Survivor.

[edit] References

  1. ^ On Sky Sports 1's Goals on Sunday 29 October 2006 at 1246 GMT, Jamie Redknapp Stated that it was a cross not a shot
  2. ^ René 'el Loco' Higuita leads Ecuador's keepers - FIFA.com 22 September 2004

[edit] See also

Colombia Colombia squad - 1990 World Cup Colombia

1 Higuita | 2 Escobar | 3 Gilardo Gómez | 4 Herrera | 5 Villa | 6 Pérez | 7 Estrada | 8 Gabriel Gómez | 9 Guerrero | 10 Valderrama | 11 Redín | 12 Niño | 13 Hoyos | 14 Álvarez | 15 Perea | 16 Iguarán | 17 Cassiani | 18 Cabrera | 19 Rincón | 20 Fajardo | 21 Mendoza | 22 Hernández | Coach: Maturana
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