Who Is René Higuita – What Is His 1990 World Cup Blunder? How Is He Using It To Fight Coronavirus?

The name René Higuita rings a loud bell in the world of football when you make mention of goalkeepers. The reason for this is quite simple; there is almost no one who was as dramatic as Higuita when he was guarding the goalpost on the pitch. He was known to be fearless in tackling opponents and was very composed even in the face of pressure. He adopted a high-risk ‘sweeper-keeper’ playing style which excited his many fans who were extremely fond of the man.

René Higuita is a former Colombian former professional footballer who is now ranked highly among goalkeepers with huge achievements in football and is widely respected today as one of the people who influenced goalkeepers around the world to take more responsibility for situations further from the goal.

A Brief Biography Of The Amazing René Higuita

René Higuita was born on the 27th of August 1966 in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia where he grew up. According to our findings, Higuita was born to a single mother who died when he was still very little, so he had to go live with his grandmother who took care of him.

As a youth, things were hard for the young Higuita so he had to take up different jobs including working as a newspaper mailman and many other jobs in order to survive. However, during this time, he already knew he wanted to play football and was looking forward to making an impact.

Higuita’s Exploits As A Goalkeeper

Higuita eventually started his youth football career with Millonarios in 1985 where he played till 1986 before he transferred to Atlético Nacional. It was for Atlético Nacional that he played the majority of his club career. While with the club, he helped them win the Colombian League on numerous occasions. He also helped them win the Copa Libertadores and Copa Interamericana.

During this time, he was already famed for his dramatic style of goalkeeping which included leaving his post and going deep into the field to dribble opponents and play like a midfielder. This got many fans very excited and they often chanted his name during his displays.

In 1992, Higuita left Atlético Nacional and moved to Spain where he signed with Real Valladolid. Higuita played with Valladolid for one season, before coming back to Atletico Nacional where he played for four more years. He eventually played with different other clubs including Atletico Nacional’s city rivals, Independiente Medellín.

In total, during his club career, Higuita made 380 appearances for the clubs he played for. He also scored 41 goals. This is an astonishing thing for a goalkeeper to do. He is now ranked among the 10 highest-scoring goalkeepers in history.

The Bicycle Kick Save Against England

René Higuita has done so many astonishing things on the pitch but the one feat by which he is most remembered is his bicycle kick save which made against England. Higuita was playing for Colombia against England when English footballer, Jamie Redknapp (now retired) fired a shot at him.

To the amazement of fans and opponents, Higuita did not save the ball with his hands as most goalkeepers would have done. Instead, he allowed the ball to float past his gloves and over his head before he splayed himself and audaciously cleared it with a double overhead kick.

The move became known as the ‘Scorpion Kick Save’ and it is now enshrined in history as remained a timeless wonder for football fans of all ages to see and marvel at.

René Higuita’s 1990 World Cup Blunder

René Higuita’s goalkeeping career was laced with several accolades and cheers from fans but t was also tainted by one very big blunder he made while playing for his country, Colombia in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. In fact, it was his costly blunder that eventually knocked Colombia out of the tournament.

How did it happen?

Higuita made the blunder when Colombia faced Cameron in the Round of 16 to battle for a place in the Quarter Finals. During the match, Higuita, in his usual dramatic style, took the ball well out of his goal area. He then tried to dribble Cameroon striker Roger Milla the way he often did with other players. However, he failed to feint Roger Milla. Milla then dispossessed Higuita and scored. It was this goal that put Cameroon through to the quarter-finals, kicking Colombia out.

Higuita has always regretted the error. In fact, he once described the blunder as “a mistake as big as a house”. As expected, Colombians were angry with him and he was nicknamed El Loco which means “The Madman”. Higuita was, however, soon forgiven as he continued to showcase other skills on the pitch.

Altogether, Higuota made 68 appearances for Colombia and scored 3 goals for his country. He finally retired on 25 January 2010.

Higuita Is Now Using His 1990 Blunder To Fight Coronavirus

René Higuita is now using his blunder in the 1990 FIFA World Cup to help in fighting the coronavirus by raising awareness about the need for people to stay at home. In March 2020, a photo appeared on social media showing Higuita making his blunder at the World Cup and it went viral, doing the rounds on the internet. The photo was captioned: “If you’re told not to go out, don’t go out!”

When Higuita saw the photo on social media, he decided to show class by giving the campaign a boost. He wrote: “If this photo serves to make people aware, I’m going to use it as well. Health comes first.”

Read Also: Tony Boselli – Bio, Net Worth And His Battle With Coronavirus

Higuita’s statement helped raise awareness among social media users about the need to remain indoors as a way to battle the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

René Higuita, who now works as a goalkeeper coach for Atlético Nacional is fondly regarded as one of the men who made Colombian football very enjoyable with his several theatrics.

Complete profile of René Higuita