Rene Higuita
At 59 years old, ‘El Loco’ repeated the feat that went around the world — “a gesture that forever changed the way we understand the art of goalkeeping”.
Playing football is like riding a bicycle: who knows, never forgets. That was why Rene Higuitaa historic Colombian goalkeeper, surprised everyone and everything this week by once again performing his iconic scorpion strike.
‘El Loco’ recreated the defense in the tribute game to Mario Yepes, this time, at 59 years old and with ‘a few extra pounds’.
30 years later René Higuita, at 59 years old, surprised again with his iconic “scorpion” play during the tribute match for Mario Alberto Yepes
— Barra Brava (@barrabrava_net)
The scorpion strike had been performed for the first time at Wembley, in a friendly against England, on September 6, 1995, and went down in world football history. The acrobatic defense went around the world — although Higuita had already accustomed ball lovers to his bold profile that would come to anticipate the modern profile of the goalkeeper-libero, when frequently playing outside the area, he carried the ball with his feet and risked vertical passes.
The defense made history after a shot by Englishman Jamie Redknapp from the right side of the field, with the former goalkeeper from clubs like Millonarios, Atlético Nacional or Valladolid projecting his body forward and defending the ball with his heel.
The former goalkeeper this year recalled “the work of art” from 30 years ago.
“30 years of Scorpio. It wasn’t just a defense… It was a work of art, a cry for freedoma gesture that forever changed the way we understand the art of goalkeeping”, wrote Higuita on the social network X in July.
Most of Higuita’s career was spent in Colombia, with emphasis on Atlético Nacional, the club with which he won the Copa Libertadores in 1989. With the Colombian national team, he participated in the 1990 World Cup and was associated with moments of genius such as the scorpion strike, but also risk, such as the mistake against Cameroon in extra timewhich ended in a goal from Roger Milla.
The ‘crazy’ career was also marked by controversy: in the early 1990s, he became involved as an intermediary in a kidnapping case, was detained and the competitive stoppage affected its trajectory
