René Higuita

René Higuita

Personal information
Full name	José René Higuita Zapata
Date of birth	27 August 1966 (1966-08-27)
Place of birth	Medellín (Barrio Castilla), Colombia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Millionarios
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985	Millionarios	16	(5)
1986–1992	Atlético Nacional	112	(1)
1992–1993	Real Valladolid	15	(0)
1994–1997	Atlético Nacional	69	(3)
1997–1998	Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz	30	(2)
1999–2000	Independiente Medellín	20	(4)
2000–2001	Real Cartagena	21	(2)
2001–2002	Atlético Junior	4	(0)
2002–2003	Deportivo Pereira	13	(0)
2004	Aucas	35	(0)
2005	Bajo Cauca	13	(1)
2007	Guaros	10	(0)
2008	Deportivo Rionegro	10	(2)
2008–2010	Deportivo Pereira	12	(5)
Total		380	(25)
National team
1987–1999	Colombia	68	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Higuita and the second or maternal family name is Zapata.

José René Higuita Zapata (born 27 August 1966 in Medellín (Barrio Castilla)) is a Colombian former football goalkeeper nicknamed El Loco ("The Madman"). Rene stood out in history as he was considered one of the most 'unique' and remarkable goalkeepers of all time due to his 'crazy' style of playing and impressive displays.

Known for being the creator of the scorpion kick, Higuita made an impact on reinventing the way goalkeepers played in a game.

Career

Rene Higuita played the 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 came out of retirement in 2007 to sign for Venezuelan club Guaros de Lara FC. In January 2008, aged 41, he signed for Colombian second division team Deportivo Rionegro. In June 2008 he signed for Colombian first division team Deportivo Pereira and retired in January 2010.

International career

Higuita would often take set-pieces for the Colombian national team and became known for scoring directly from free-kicks, as well as penalties. In all, he scored 8 goals in his 68 international appearances. Higuita is also 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 considerable media attention when he successfully used it in a friendly game against England at Wembley Stadium in September 1995, blocking a shot by Jamie Redknapp. It ranked 94th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.

On the pitch, Higuita was known for his eccentric playing style, taking unnecessary risks and actively trying to score goals. He was also prone to blunders, and it was a mistake by him that knocked Colombia out of the 1990 World Cup, when he seemingly dithered with the ball at his feet near the halfway line enabling Cameroon striker Roger Milla to dispossess him and score, putting Cameroon through to the quarter-finals. Higuita himself described it as "a mistake as big as a house". As a result of such behaviour, Higuita was nicknamed El Loco ("The Madman") by media and fans alike.

Higuita is friends with Diego Maradona and played in the Argentine's farewell match in 2001.

Coaching career

He has expressed the wish to coach the Colombian national team and in December 2008 he got the job of goalkeeper coach for his former club Real Valladolid.

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 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 seven 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." This however in the documentary The Two Escobars, it was claimed to be because of his visit to Pablo Escobar, in prison due the fact that they questioned Higuita only about Pablo Escobar rather than the kidnapping.

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 23 November 2004 while playing for an Ecuadorian football club.

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.

As of November 2009, his son Cristian Andrés Higuita was playing for Asociación Deportivo Cali and represented Colombia at the Sudamericano Sub-15.

Higuita has expressed the wish to become more politically active.

Honours

Club

• Atlético Nacional:
  • Copa Libertadores: 1989; Runner-up 1995.
  • Copa Interamericana: 1990, mina el prince !
  • Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up 1989.
  • Colombian League: 1991, 1994.

International

1990 FIFA World Cup: Round of 16. Copa America 1993: Third-place. Copa America 1995: Third Place.

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
• List of goalscoring goalkeepers

External links

• Career details at National Football Teams
• International statistics at rsssf
• FIFA interview with Rene Higuita
• BBC SPORT Tim Vickery The legacy of Rene Higuita

Rene Higuita clips

• Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0NZCSZZj5Q&feature=channel
• Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AwnO2cVcbQ&feature=channel
• Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKXrSVJZ_nc&feature=channel
• Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7we1LbA7F30&feature=channel