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January 21, 2010

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Higuita to sign off on Sunday

RENE Higuita, the colorful goalkeeper known as "El Loco," will have his two-decade career feted by Colombia in Bogota this weekend.

Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, Diego Maradona, and Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have been invited to Sunday's testimonial match between a team of Colombia all-stars and top players from the 1990s of the Colombian club Atletico Nacional. Organizers said it was unclear if the big-name invitees would attend.

Higuita, 43, last played in 2008 for the Colombian team Deportivo Pereira.

Higuita was famous for his frizzy hair and daring moves in goal - some successful, some unsuccessful.

In the 1990 World Cup, he was playing the ball at his feet far out of the area when Roger Milla of Cameroon stripped him and scored, knocking Colombia out of the final 16.

In a friendly at Wembley Stadium against England, he turned a routine save into a spectacular play. Instead of catching the ball shot at the goal, he performed a modified scissors kick - later the move was called "The Scorpion" - to kick the ball overhead and keep it from going in.

Higuita also served some prison time.

He was imprisoned in 1993 for acting as a go-between in a kidnapping case.


 

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