About René Higuita
José René Higuita Zapata is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was nicknamed El Loco for his high-risk 'sweeper-keeper' playing style and his flair for the dramatic, and sometimes even scoring goals despite being a goalkeeper. Higuita's style of play, which was first shown to a global audience during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, was pioneering in influencing goalkeepers to take more responsibility for situations farther from the goal. Higuita's first major tournament was the 1987 Copa América, where the team was knocked out in the first round. Although he was a goalkeeper, Higuita also became known for scoring directly from free-kicks, as well as penalties. Furthermore, Higuita reportedly invented the scorpion kick, a movement which involves the player jumping forward, positioning their legs over their head, and in doing so, kicking the ball away with their heels.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.