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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

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Liam Apicella
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