MX23RW : Wednesday, January 1 17:10:20| >> :600:845477:845477:

On this day: Rene Higuita acrobatics stun Wembley

Twenty years ago today, Rene Higuita stunned Wembley when he produced the 'Scorpion Kick' save during Colombia's encounter against England.

As far as eccentric footballers are concerned, you would have to go a long way to find one that was more bizarre and erratic than Rene Higuita.

During a playing career that took him to 13 different clubs, the Colombian goalkeeper was imprisoned for his role in a kidnapping involving drug baron Pablo Escobar and he was also banned from the sport for taking cocaine.

Colombian Goalkeeper Rene Higuita during the England versus Colombia friendly on September 6, 1995© Getty Images

Meanwhile, on the pitch during the 1990 World Cup, his antics with the ball inside the centre circle resulted in him being robbed of possession by Cameroon's Roger Milla, who subsequently went on to knock the South Americans out of the tournament.

Yet, the moment that Higuita is perhaps best remembered for occurred 20 years ago today when Colombia visited Wembley to take on England in an international friendly.

The game itself was nothing to write home about, with neither side able to find the back of the net throughout the 90 minutes. However, during the first half of the contest, the shaggy-haired keeper produced some unexpected acrobatics that have seen him go down in footballing folklore.

England midfielder Jamie Redknapp, who was making his debut for the Three Lions, mishit a cross. The ball was heading goalwards, providing Higuita with an easy claim in the process.

But, rather than collect the ball with ease, Higuita dived forward, arched his back and somehow managed to flick up both of his heels. Still in mid-air, the Colombian number one was able to back-heel the ball off the line - an action that would later become known as the 'Scorpion Kick'.

Party poopers are quick to highlight that the linesman had raised his flag for offside just before Higuita's antics, but the fact that it wasn't acknowledged by the referee and play continued suggested that had he missed the ball, a goal would have been given.

Speaking in 2012, Higuita told Mundo Deportivo: "Human beings are always remembered for their great work, and that was what it was.

"Children have always been my inspiration. I always saw them in the street or in a park trying out bicycle kicks, and I told them it would be good to do it in reverse. That day in England, I was given the ball that I had been waiting for five years."

England: Seaman; G Neville, Adams, Howey, Le Saux; Redknapp (Lee), Gascoigne (Barnes), Wise, Barmby, McManaman; Shearer (Sheringham)

Colombia: Higuita; Perez, Bermudez, Mendoza, Santa; Alvarez, Lozano, Rincon, Valderrama; Asprilla, Valenciano

ID:242773: cacheID:242773:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4606:
Written by
Liam Apicella
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Colombia's Radamel Falcao celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Belgium during an international friendly match on November 14, 2013
Read Next:
Top 10 Colombian players of all time
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!