GOALKEEPER: Rene Higuita “El Loco”
Jose Rene Higuita Zapata is the icon sweeper-keeper who invented the goal-saving scorpion kick and earned the nickname “El Loco” or “The Madman” for the dramatic flare of his playing style, which had its greatest impact when playing goalkeeper for the Columbia national team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Rene Higuita on-field antics were as risky as they were entertaining, dribbling the ball forward from his own goal or making epic saves with a high level of swagger and bravado. His hair as well as his flashy goalkeeper uniforms added to the flare that made El Loco unique in futbol history.
His diminutive stature (for a goalkeeper), standing at 5-foot, 9-inches tall, Rene Higuita made up for his stature with a style of play that was incredibly captivating. He greatly influenced contemporary goalkeeping, which requires goalkeepers to be skillful with their feet and serve.
The former Colombian professional soccer player was a pioneer in the tremendous amount of influence a goalkeeper can deliver to a game, taking greater responsibility for plays further from his own goal. The The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) ranked Higuita the 8th best South American goalkeeper in the history of soccer. Rene Higuita is also ranked as one of the 10 highest-scoring goalkeepers in history, with whopping 41 goals in his overall professional soccer career.
RENE HIGUITA INFO
| DATE OF BIRTH: August 27, 1966 PLACE OF BIRTH: Medellín, Colombia NATIONALITY: Columbian | HEIGHT: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) WEIGHT: 72 kg / 159 lb POSITIONS: Goalkeeper (1) |
YOUTH SOCCER CAREER
| YOUTH CLUB: Millonarios F.C. (Azul y Blanco Millonarios Fútbol Club S.A.) FOUNDED: Founded 18 June 1946 | STADIUM: Estadio El Campín / 36,343 capacity LOCATION: Bogota, Colombia |
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER CAREER
| YEARS / TEAM / APPS / (GOALS) | YEARS / TEAM / APPS / (GOALS) |
| 1985 Millonarios 16 (7) 1986–1992 Atlético Nacional 112 (1) 1992 Real Valladolid 15 (2) 1993–1997 Atlético Nacional 69 (1) 1997–1998 Veracruz 30 (2) 1999–2000 Independiente Medellín 20 (11) 2000–2001 Real Cartagena 21 (0) | 2001–2002 Atlético Junior 4 (0) 2002–2003 Deportivo Pereira 13 (0) 2004 Aucas 35 (3) 2007 Guaros FC 10 (5) 2008 Deportivo Rionegro 10 (3) 2008–2009 Deportivo Pereira 12 (5) TOTAL APPS: 380 (41) |
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER CAREER
| YEARS / TEAM / APPS / (GOALS) |
| 1987–1999 Colombia 68 (3) |
RENE HIGUITA VIDEOS
René Higuita: The Craziest Goalkeeper in History!
He’s without a doubt the craziest goalkeeper in the history of football! René Higuita was a Colombian goalkeeper, and between his crazy outfits, his insane footwork and his unbelievable Scorpion Kick, he just might be the most unforgettable goalkeeper of all time.
Goalkeeper Jose Rene Higuita “El Loco” Best Saves, Best Skills, Best Goals
“A beautiful character, great goalkeeper, a madman. He was the first goalkeeper that kicked penalties, free kicks and played in a different way,” once said Diego Maradona about legendary goalkeeper Jose René Higuita and his flashy sweeper keeper style of play.
Goalkeeper Jose Rene Higuita “El Loco” Best Moments Ever
Jose Rene Higuita Zapata is a Colombian former football goalkeeper nicknamed El Loco (“The Madman”). Rene Higuita was well known for his ‘sweeper keeper’ playing style, taking extraordinary risks by leaving his post empty to clear balls and even dribble the ball forward of the penalty area.
Diego Maradona’s 2001 Testimonial Match Rene Higuita
In 2001, four years after his retirement from professional soccer, Diego Maradona was honored with a Testimonial Match: Argentina versus a World XI, which included greats such as Rene Higuita. Higuita, the flashy goalkeeper known as “El Loco,” would also have his two-decade career feted and farewelled by Colombia this weekend.
Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, Diego Maradona, and Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were to the Sunday testimonial match between a team of Colombia all-stars and top players from the 1990s of the Colombian club Atletico Nacional. At the time, Diego Maradona was 41 years old, four years retired from the game, overweight, and fresh from knee surgery. The Testimonial Match, played at Boca Juniors’ stadium, is a chance for the Hand of God to wave goodbye to 50,000 adoring fans… and Pele, who is also in the stands.
RENE HIGUITA QUOTES
- “I changed football’s rules. Not even Pele, or Maradona, or even Messi can say they did that.” —- Jose Rene Higuita / FIFA.com —- Higuita was quoted when speaking of the FIFA back pass rule change. El Loco was a pioneer of the goalkeeping position, a frequent goalscorer, who was talented and courageous enough to dribble and play out from the back in an era defined by the back-pass rule and conservative, safety-first goalkeeping.
- “To me the ball was a toy, a gift they give you every Christmas, and you don’t want to let go of. And if you do let go of it, then there’s a fight for it. I didn’t want to fight for the ball; I wanted to have my ball. And I wanted my team to have that ball. That’s how I read the game, and that’s how the rules changed.” —- Jose Rene Higuita / FIFA.com
- “I remember going to the stadium as a little boy and seeing good keepers who, when they got to the ball before the forwards did, would kick it out to the side. They were great keepers between the posts and I thought: ‘Can’t they play with their feet? If the ball’s not out then it’s in play and, while it’s in play, the team’s always got a chance of scoring. So why are we going to give it to the opposition?’” —- Jose Rene Higuita / FIFA.com
- “It was a trick that helped put Colombia and myself on the map” —- Jose Rene Higuita / FIFA.com —- Speaking of the famous goal-saving scorpion kick.
RENE HIGUITA ARTICLES
- Testimonial Match for Rene Higuita – Fox Sports
Rene Higuita, the colorful goalkeeper known as “El Loco,” will have his two-decade career feted and farewelled by Colombia this weekend. Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, Diego Maradona, and Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have been invited to Sunday’s testimonial match between a team of Colombia all-stars and top players from the 1990s of the Colombian club Atletico Nacional. Organizers said it was unclear if the big-name invitees would attend. Higuita, 43, last played in 2008 for the Colombian team Deportivo Pereira. - Rene Higuita: Colombia’s Goalscoring Goalkeeper – History of Soccer
Goalkeeper Rene Higuita was an inspired, eccentric, and trailblazing player who played for several South American club teams and the Colombian national team. Although he is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers to wear the gloves in Colombia, he is best known for one thing and one thing only: his scorpion kick. As soon as we look past “that scorpion kick,” it’s time to give this eccentric goalkeeper the credit he deserves because he was so much more than one scorpion kick. Rene Higuita stood only 5 feet 9 inches tall, which is very small for a goalkeeper. Yet, despite his small stature, he was amazingly athletic, diving for shots as if he were propelled by springs and making many saves that are still talked about today. As a sweeper-keeper, Rene Higuita was never afraid of attacking or chasing down attackers. On the contrary, it was not uncommon for him to take on defenders or tackle attackers outside the box, including when he dribbled the ball back inside so he could pick it up. - The Goalie Who Faced Pablo Escobar’s Empire – Esquire Magazine
During the summer of the 1994 World Cup, Colombia’s star keeper was the go-between in a drug hostage situation. When he then stood trial for taking part in a kidnapping, Esquire sent a reporter to investigate what is now one of the greatest what-ifs in the country’s history. The rival Columbian drug lords Pablo Escobar and Carlos Molina Yepes had one thing in common besides their enthusiasm for the marketing possibilities of cocaine: a love for the game of soccer. Before he went underground, Escobar was known in Medellín merely as a local politician, a member of parliament who was more at home on the terraces of the city’s stadiums, appraising the talents of players who had grown up in the roughneck neighborhoods nearby. So notorious was his passion for fútbol that even after he vanished, there were Elvis-like sightings of Escobar in the stadiums of Medellín. His investment in the club Atlético Nacional de Medellín, through his testaferros, his front men, was said to be vast. For the local soccer team was one of his toys, like his imported giraffes and rhino, and it was said that many star players were enriched by his favors.
