Higuita Scorpion Kick (1995): The Save That Counted for Nothing
The Higuita scorpion kick was the acrobatic clearance Colombia goalkeeper René Higuita produced at Wembley on Wednesday 6 September 1995, throwing his heels up over his head to hook away a looping ball in a goalless friendly, England 0-0 Colombia. Debutant Jamie Redknapp’s mishit cross set it up, and the assistant’s flag was already raised for offside, so the save officially counted for nothing. It became one of the most replayed images in football, and a favourite in our On This Day series.
What follows is how a scuffed cross on a debutant’s first cap turned a forgettable friendly into the save every goalkeeping compilation still opens with, and why, by the letter of the law, it should never have counted at all.
Key Facts
Snapshot of facts before you watch the documentary.
- Played on Wednesday 6 September 1995 at Wembley, in front of 20,038, a Green Flag International friendly refereed by Marc Batta of France, as englandfootballonline records.
- The match finished England 0-0 Colombia, goalless, with Higuita’s clearance the one moment anybody remembers from it.
- René Higuita, the Atletico Nacional goalkeeper, kicked his heels up over his head and hooked the ball clear with both boots, the trick he named the scorpion kick.
- The ball came off Jamie Redknapp, making his England debut aged 22 under Terry Venables; his cross flew long and looped towards the Colombia goal.
- The assistant referee had already flagged the move offside, so, by Goal’s account, the referee had stopped play and the save counted for nothing.
- The Associated Press still describes the clearance as one of the most iconic images in football, three decades on.
Watch the Full Documentary
René Higuita: El Loco, the Scorpion Kick and Escobar
The Night of the Higuita Scorpion Kick
A Grey Night at Wembley
Almost nothing about the evening promised a place in football history. England, managed by Terry Venables and a year out from hosting Euro 96, had booked a low-key friendly with Colombia, and only 20,038 turned up at Wembley, as englandfootballonline records. The French referee Marc Batta took charge of a goalless match that produced one piece of goalkeeping worth keeping and very little else, England 0-0 Colombia on the night the scoreline stopped mattering.
In the Colombia goal stood René Higuita, the Atletico Nacional keeper who had already spent a decade rewriting what the position could be, charging out of his area to dribble past forwards and treating the penalty box as a stage. He had won the Copa Libertadores with Atletico Nacional in 1989 and become the face of Colombia’s golden generation. What he did in the second half of an unremarkable friendly outlived all of it.
How the Higuita Scorpion Kick Happened
The move that made him immortal started with a scuffed pass. Jamie Redknapp, a 22-year-old winning his first England cap that night, swung a cross in that flew long and awkward, looping towards the Colombia goal rather than towards any team-mate. Higuita, back-pedalling, could have caught it, chested it or hoofed it into the stand. Instead he dived forward, kicked both heels up behind his head and flicked it clear with his boots while his hands hit the turf. Goal described the ball leaving his boots with his legs curled above his head, and the shape he made, legs curling up and over, gave the trick its name.
Higuita has always been happy to explain where the idea came from. He told Goal he had watched children in the street trying bicycle kicks and thought “it would be good to do it in reverse.” He had been sitting on the move for years, waiting for the right harmless ball to try it on. A meaningless cross in a meaningless friendly, with his goal in no danger, was exactly the invitation he had wanted.
The Save That Counted for Nothing
Here is the detail the anoraks love. The clearance saved nothing at all. The assistant referee’s flag was already up against Redknapp, the move ruled offside before Higuita ever left his feet, so by the laws of the sport the ball was dead and the save was, strictly, irrelevant. Goal notes the referee had already stopped play. Higuita had produced the most theatrical piece of goalkeeping in living memory inside a phase of play that officially did not exist, which is precisely why football loves it.
Terry Venables, whose debutant had teed the whole thing up, was not quite sure what he had just watched. By FIFA’s account the England manager was among those who had “never seen anything like it before”, and he joked that his own goalkeepers would not be practising it. Three decades on, the Associated Press still ranks the clearance among the most iconic images in football, and Higuita is remembered less for his Copa Libertadores medal than for a few seconds of invention in a match nobody scored in.
| What the night is remembered for | Detail and named source |
|---|---|
| The save itself | Higuita’s scorpion kick clearance, England 0-0 Colombia, 6 September 1995 (englandfootballonline) |
| Why it counted for nothing | Redknapp’s cross had already been flagged offside (Goal) |
| Contemporary verdict | Terry Venables called it unlike anything he had seen |
| Lasting status | Among the most iconic images in football (Associated Press) |
It fits the man, too. Higuita spent a career turning goalkeeping into a spectacle, and he sits among the players TFDC keeps returning to in our Football Mavericks films. The scorpion kick was simply the night the whole world caught up with what Colombia had been watching for a decade.
READ MORE: René Higuita: El Loco, the Scorpion Kick and Escobar, the full TFDC film →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Higuita Scorpion Kick (1995)
What was the Higuita scorpion kick?
The Higuita scorpion kick was an acrobatic goalkeeping clearance in which René Higuita swung his legs up over his head and knocked the ball away with both heels. He performed it for Colombia against England at Wembley on 6 September 1995. The move looked like a scorpion arching its tail, which gave it the name, and Higuita is credited with inventing it.
When did René Higuita do the scorpion kick against England?
René Higuita performed the scorpion kick on Wednesday 6 September 1995, in a friendly between England and Colombia at Wembley. The match finished 0-0, and the clearance came in the second half. It has been replayed at anniversaries of the fixture ever since.
What was the score in England v Colombia on 6 September 1995?
England 0-0 Colombia was the score at Wembley on 6 September 1995, a goalless draw, as englandfootballonline records. It was a Green Flag International friendly rather than a competitive fixture. The scoreline is remembered by almost nobody; Higuita’s scorpion kick is remembered by everybody.
Who took the shot that led to the Higuita scorpion kick?
Jamie Redknapp delivered the ball that led to the Higuita scorpion kick, a cross that flew long and looped towards the Colombia goal. Redknapp was making his England debut that night, aged 22, under Terry Venables. Higuita dived forward and cleared the drifting ball with his heels rather than his hands.
Did the Higuita scorpion kick actually save a goal?
No, the Higuita scorpion kick did not save a goal, because the move had already been flagged offside. The assistant referee’s flag was up against Redknapp before Higuita left his feet, so by Goal’s account play had effectively stopped and the clearance counted for nothing. That is part of why the moment is so beloved: the most famous save of its kind was not a save at all.
Where was the Higuita scorpion kick performed?
The Higuita scorpion kick was performed at Wembley Stadium in London, in front of 20,038 spectators. The occasion was an England v Colombia friendly on 6 September 1995. Higuita was in goal for Colombia at the time.
Who was in goal for Colombia at Wembley in 1995?
René Higuita was in goal for Colombia at Wembley in 1995, playing for his country in the friendly against England. He was an Atletico Nacional goalkeeper who had won the 1989 Copa Libertadores with the club. He was already famous for his adventurous, sweeper-keeper style before the scorpion kick made him a global name.
What inspired René Higuita to invent the scorpion kick?
René Higuita has said the scorpion kick was inspired by watching children in the street play football. He told Goal he had seen them trying bicycle kicks and reckoned the same trick in reverse was worth attempting. He had been holding the idea back for years, waiting for a safe ball on which to try it.
How did Terry Venables react to the Higuita scorpion kick?
Terry Venables reacted with something close to disbelief, admitting it was unlike anything he had watched. The England manager, whose debutant Jamie Redknapp had set the moment up, joked that his own goalkeepers would not be taught the trick. His reaction captured the general bafflement around the ground that night.
Was the England v Colombia match on 6 September 1995 a friendly?
Yes, England v Colombia on 6 September 1995 was a friendly, staged as a Green Flag International at Wembley. It carried no competitive stakes, which is one reason Higuita felt free to attempt something so outlandish. England were using the fixture to build towards hosting Euro 96 the following summer.
How many people watched the Higuita scorpion kick at Wembley?
A crowd of 20,038 watched the Higuita scorpion kick in person at Wembley, as englandfootballonline records. It was a modest turnout for a friendly on a midweek night. Television and highlights reels then carried the clearance to an audience many millions larger over the following days and years.
Why is the Higuita scorpion kick still famous?
The Higuita scorpion kick is still famous because it combined a piece of pure invention with the audacity of trying it in an international at Wembley. The Associated Press ranks it among the most iconic images in football three decades later. The twist that it was flagged offside, and so saved nothing, only makes the clip more loved rather than less.
The Higuita Scorpion Kick (1995)
A goalless friendly, a debutant’s scuffed cross and an offside flag nobody in the stands could see: from that nothing of an evening, René Higuita made one of the most iconic images in football, and then shrugged that it had counted for nothing anyway. For more nights that outlived their scorelines, keep exploring our On This Day series, and watch the full Higuita film on the channel.
Watch the Full Documentary
René Higuita: El Loco, the Scorpion Kick and Escobar