I made the most famous Wembley save, I’m convinced FIFA changed the rules because of me
For all the talk about goalkeepers using their feet in the modern era, Rene Higuita was on another planet.
‘El Loco’ they called him – the frizzy-haired Colombian madman who was the true pioneer of the sweeper-keeper role we see and expect at the highest level today.
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A driving force behind the 21st century ball-playing shot-stopper and an entertainer of the masses with his incredible 43 career goals and of course that Scorpio kick.
Wembley Stadium. September 6, 1995. A dull goalless friendly between England and Colombia, illuminated by Higuita’s maddening goal-line play with his heels in the air.
Rumor has it that Jamie Redknapp – the Three Lions player whose overhit cross provided the platform – is still unable to understand his madness almost thirty years later.
Higuita told SunSport: “I’ve done some important things in football, and that Scorpion kick was special, and also where it took place: in the football temple at Wembley.”
But for Higuita – now 57 and retired 14 years ago – the only reason he even thought about that daring stunt was because of a FIFA rule implemented three years earlier, in 1992, that he says with his playing style was created in mind.
He explained: “What was more important [than the Scorpion] was the change in law that FIFA made, which removed a goalkeeper who picked up a back pass. That came through me.
“I believe I gave the goalkeepers more freedom, so they wouldn’t be on the ball so long and wouldn’t waste time.
“They were no longer just seen as players who had to use their hands. They can also use their feet.
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“I recently sat next to West Ham goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero and he was very grateful to have me there and he said it was almost like he had a point of reference. Someone they could look up to, a mirror people could look into.”
We have Higuita to thank for his impact on the game, influencing the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta – even if it means endless debates over whether he should play David Raya or Aaron Ramsdale.
But Higuita wasn’t about structure or tactics – he was about pure, unadulterated fun, encouraging others who were now putting on the gloves to step forward with freedom and a smile.
However, it is unlikely that anyone will ever do it the way he did. There are some Premier League strikers who would be jealous of his goalscoring record.
For Colombian teams Atletico Nacional, Independiente Medelin, Real Cartagena, Bajo Cauca and Deportivo Rionegro, Mexico’s Veracruz, and for Colombia, Higuita scored 35 penalties, seven free kicks and one from his own penalty area.
He is currently fifth in the all-time goalscorers list – the four above him are also from South America.
Higuita added: “Some people thought it was crazy, but for me it was taking advantage of the circumstances in which I had to do things.”
And while Higuita enjoys watching the current crop of top goalkeepers – such as Manchester City’s Ederson, Manchester United’s Andre Onana and Everton’s Jordan Pickford – he said: “They play a lot more with their feet, but they are still quite limited in what they doing. .
“I would like to see them play more with their feet and take penalties. I’d even like to see them go past players and score goals, but it’s a matter of what you like.
“It’s something very personal. Maybe others don’t want to see that. It’s all about taste and no taste is a bad taste, as we say.
“Each of them brings a different grain of sand to what they do and tries to do it their way.”
Higuita’s style did not always pay off, especially at Italia 90, when his failed Cruyff turn past Cameroon’s Roger Milla 25 meters from goal knocked Colombia out in the last 16.
There was talk about me coming to England to play
René Higuita
But he is still convinced he could have flourished in a Guardiola team in today’s match and believes he would have played in the Premier League had he not been so tall .
He said: “There was talk about me coming to England to play. Newcastle was mentioned and there were a few comments from Arsenal.
“Something that was talked about a lot was my height, or lack thereof, so there was no firm offer for me to come to Britain.”
Higuita’s life outside of football was never easy either: he was briefly jailed in 1993 for playing as a go-between for Pablo Escobar in a kidnapping, tested positive for cocaine in 2004 and even ran for mayor of his home country in 2011.
But as he prepares to head to the London Stadium on Friday to watch Colombia’s friendly with Spain, he said: “Part of life is living in the moment and learning from your experiences.
“It was a beautiful past and an experience that I can take with me, but you cannot live in the past. I enjoy it and am very happy now. If I missed things, it would cause frustration.”
To buy tickets for Spain vs Colombia at the London Stadium, click here.
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