René Higuita
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| Higuita | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | José René Higuita Zapata | |
| Date of birth | August 27, 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Medellín, Colombia | |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Deportivo Rionegro | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1985 1986-1992 1992-1993 1994-1997 1997-1998 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2004 2005 2007 2008- |
Millionarios Atlético Nacional Real Valladolid Atlético Nacional Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz Independiente Medellín Real Cartagena Atlético Junior Deportivo Pereira Aucas Bajo Cauca FC Guaros de Lara FC Deportivo Rionegro |
- - 15 (0) 69 (3) 30 (2) 20 (4) 21 (2) 4 (0) 13 (0) 35 (0) - - - |
| National team | ||
| 1987-1999 | Colombia | 68 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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José René Higuita Zapata (born August 27, 1966 in Medellín) is a Colombian football goalkeeper who plays for the Categoría Primera B club Deportivo Rionegro. He has played 68 international matches for the Colombian national team, in which he scored three goals.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Career
Higuita played majority of his club career with Colombian side Atlético Nacional, where he helped the team win the Colombian League on numerous occasions as well as the Copa Libertadores and Copa Interamericana, both in 1989.
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 notoriety when he pulled it off in a friendly game against England in September, 1995, blocking a mistaken cross by Jamie Redknapp.[2] 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 score, putting his team through to the quarter-finals. As a result of such behaviour, Higuita was nicknamed "El Loco" by media and fans alike.
Higuita is friends with Diego Maradona, and played in the Argentine's farewell match in 2001.
He came out of retirement in 2007 to sign for Venezuelan club Guaros de Lara FC[3]. In January 2008, aged 41, he signed at Colombian second division team Deportivo Rionegro. He still dreams of returning to Colombia's national team. After his retirement as a player he says he wants to become coach for the Colombian national team or become more politically active. [4]
[edit] Personal life
He is married to Magnolia, with whom he has two children, Andrés and Pamela. He also has a daughter, Cindy Carolina, from a previous marriage.
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." [5] 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. [6]
In 2005, Higuita participated in the reality TV program La isla de los famosos: Una aventura pirata ("The Island of the Famous: A Pirate Adventure"), a show similar to Survivor. In summer 2008, the veteran goalkeeper was linked with a short-term move to Manchester United, to provide cover for fellow veteran, Edwin Van der Sar. The progress of negotiations, however, remain to be seen.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ rsssf: Colombia record international footballers
- ^ 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
- ^ Higuita returns to football
- ^ "Higuita wants to return to Colombia’s national team", Colombia Reports, April 1, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
- ^ René 'el Loco' Higuita leads Ecuador's keepers - FIFA.com 22 September 2004
- ^ Two of the best
[edit] External links
- Career details at National Football Teams
- International statistics at rsssf
- FIFA interview with Rene Higuita
- Scorpion Kick via Youtube
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