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How does one feel with that vertigo…
as you step onto the field
full of emotions as well as fears?
The anticipation of winning
and the fear of losing.
Unique, incomparable, majestic.
Friends, now René serves…
Here in Colombia, we also have soccer.
And that was our great motivation.
René revolutionized the world.
The way he was on the streets,
that's how he played on the field.
To me, he's a goalkeeper of the future, undoubtedly.
You couldn't tell him not to leave the goal, not to take a free kick.
He scored seven free kicks.
He has scored 49 times
and is the top scorer in the world.
It's very nice soccer.
He's one of those touched by God,
like Diego Maradona, like Pelé,
like Messi.
He was an icon for us. René was everything to us.
A goalkeeper will hardly draw people to the stadiums.
René was a showman. Everyone wanted to go see René.
We love you!
We love you, Higuita!
"Look at each other's faces."
"We'll change the history of Colombian soccer."
Higuita, what were your best and worst plays?
That's hard.
It's hard because soccer and plays are like life,
where you have both good times and bad times.
Everyone seeks out people like us, especially powerful people.
At every party,
wherever there was indiscipline, you were sure to find René Higuita.
To be René Higuita's wife,
I had to fight many dragons, as they say.
As I left La Catedral,
a journalist asked me if I was friends with Pablo Escobar.
And I said yes.
We all make mistakes,
but only those with guts can admit it.
The Metropolitan Police have sent him to the city of Bogotá.
Ladies and gentlemen,
let's give a huge standing ovation for René Higuita!
The great absentee here in this tribute.
Higuita!
The referee allows it. Go, Mendoza!
It's a corner, René Higuita
defending the goal, the Colombian national team starter.
René at the center circle.
René took it with Pacho.
The people of Colombia are proud
of this generation of sportsmen.
Defending the goal is René. He sends the ball.
He turns around, grabs it again.
René sends the ball!
We might laugh about it, but actually,
what Higuita did today is very risky.
When it comes to sport, I'm 100% innocent.
HIGUITA: THE WAY OF THE SCORPION
I'll show you some of the pictures.
There's a lot of them.
Pictures from our time at Real Valladolid
with Francisco Maturana.
From the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
A photo here with my teammate
on that '85 squad, Eduardo Niño.
Here is the photo with Pope John Paul.
I have a few,
and still I can't say that René Higuita is a saint.
Nor has anyone told me to say Mass for them
because I took a picture with John Paul II.
But out of the ones I like the most,
or the one I like the most,
is the Atlético Nacional photo.
JUNE 18, 1990 MILAN - ITALY
I remember I was the top goalscorer for my team.
It was our first match, and the goalkeeper didn't show up.
They put me in instead.
I did well. We won the championship.
So I became known as a goalkeeper.
In a country like ours of athletic excellence
in which soccer is considered the king of sports,
the stars of the ball are always the buzz.
That's why we're joined today by René Higuita,
who has been recognized internationally
as one of the world's most spectacular goalkeepers.
Ever thought Higuita would be so great?
He's always been great.
I've never had a problem because Higuita is the world's greatest.
His nonchalance towards all conventional plays
is the main secret of his success.
I move forward. I go up to the box.
That's how I feel.
That's how soccer felt to me.
If I didn't make a play,
I felt as though I wasn't on the pitch.
And it became a system.
I first saw him on the Nacional team.
He was ahead of his time.
How he played, how he cut across, how he overtook.
Of course, he risked a lot,
but he also saved a lot.
Sometimes people don't realize he was an extra defender.
A play that would end in goal, he'd already blocked it.
Goes to René.
He serves with his hand…
René was the one who'd start the attack.
The attack doesn't start with the striker, as they say.
It starts with the goalie.
He is remembered
for all the things he did differently from a regular goalkeeper.
Higuita was Higuita.
You couldn't tell him, "Don't leave the goal. Don't take a free kick."
As with all life's paradoxes, he's a scoring goalkeeper.
He not only saves but also scores.
He has notched 49 goals,
and thus, he's the top scorer in the world.
Higuita!
It's an art.
He had the ability to be a phenomenal goalkeeper.
He instilled certainty in everything, everywhere.
He was always optimistic.
I never heard him say negative things.
He was very strong mentally.
He struck me as someone very strong mentally.
He was genuine, spontaneous.
People thought he was cocky
because of how he played. No, that's who he was.
They'd say, "That son of a bitch is crazy."
Yes, he is crazy.
EX SOCCER PLAYER
He's mad, but he's a good madman.
He was "El Loco," The Madman.
Everyone started talking about René Higuita.
So I began playing farther upfield.
In Mexico, they know me as the striker-keeper.
René Higuita was the example at the international level.
And that became more and more revolutionary.
And I said, "I'm not wrong."
When we'd arrive at an airport,
it was as if they were welcoming a rock star
or a Hollywood actor.
It was impressive.
We didn't understand why we couldn't go to the movies with him,
to a mall, to an amusement park.
A goalkeeper will hardly draw people to the stadiums,
but Higuita did.
Among the whole soccer team
or among the national squad,
he was one of the most recognized,
both in leadership
and in the affection and charisma that he had towards the group.
Higuita, right?
Higuita, Leonel, Perea, Alexis.
We're all part of a team.
Here, it's not about just one player.
We were the core of the national team,
at Atlético Nacional.
We had about 10 or 12 players.
We also had the technical staff, with their kit men and all.
We went through very difficult times.
Colombians got used to living with guerrillas,
drug trafficking, street crime,
and underdevelopment, an explosive combination of violence and bribery.
PANIC AND DEATH IN BOGOTÁ!
EL ESPECTADOR WAS BOMBED: 75 WOUNDED
We suffered it first-hand.
For instance, when we headed to practice…
FORMER SOCCER PLAYER
…sometimes it was called off because in the streets of Medellín
or in the shopping malls,
they'd set off bombs.
A car bomb went off last night in Bocagrande.
Escobar strikes the streets once more.
He ordered their death.
In the long run, they'll be the ones who'll lose.
They'd have chats with us about the times our country was going through.
There was always a problem at a park, at a supermarket,
because of the social problem we were suffering.
Colombia!
We were celebrities back then.
At this level, everyone seeks out people like us.
Whoever it may be.
Especially powerful people.
Every now and then,
I've gotten that type of pressure by mail.
And they also threatened my family.
Everyone was after El Loco.
El Loco became so popular
and so charismatic in the country
that this kind of situation threatened his very life,
against his freedom.
I got a call from the president
of the Atlético Nacional team back then.
And he said,
"An avid fan of Atlético
has a problem."
The problem
was that his 13-year-old daughter was kidnapped.
"What do I have to do with this?"
"You are someone who is known and respected."
"And you're gonna be the go-between so that nothing happens to the girl."
"If I can help with that
and it is within my possibilities,
count me in."
I've never talked about it with anyone.
No one knows.
Not even my friends or my co-workers, nobody.
This is an untold story, never shared before.
KIDNAP VICTIM
But I know it's for a good cause.
I was on my way to school.
Two motorcycles parked across the street and made the car stop.
They made my driver get out.
And they got in that same car.
The same men with the motorcycles got in and took me.
They made me sit on the floor of the car.
I couldn't see a thing.
And they took me.
It was April 30, 1993.
I was kidnapped for a month.
It never crossed my mind
that my world would collapse.
Well, this is my father
when he was about two years old.
Here he is taking his First Communion.
His family has always been very Catholic.
His grandma, his mom, and grandpa.
And these are his Boy Scout days.
Here he is with his whole family, his mother, his cousins.
It was a big family,
and they all lived in the same house.
I was born in the Castilla neighborhood,
where many are born and few are raised.
A working-class neighborhood,
a neighborhood I love.
The difficult part,
not just for me,
but for the majority of the people
who come from a working-class neighborhood,
is going to be poverty.
ALEJO PIMIENTA SCHOOL 4TH GRADE, 1978
At Alejo Pimienta School,
where we went to elementary school,
I always stood out as the one who played soccer,
the one with a free pass.
I would get permission to leave for any sporting event.
I always had my dinner,
I always had my pair of jeans neatly folded,
a well-ironed shirt.
And that was it, along with my shoes.
At that time, I'd tell Grandpa to stop working.
And he'd tell me,
"When I get my farm,
I'll stop working."
They didn't live to see me play in the first division.
My grandmother got to enjoy it a bit.
And that made me happy.
I mean,
I got to give her whatever she wanted.
This is one of the few photos he has with his mother.
That's the one,
with his mother, his grandfather,
and grandmother.
She wasn't just a mother,
she was a father.
She had to beg him
to give me his last name.
I kept Higuita, which is my mother's surname.
My mom didn't get the chance
to see me play professionally.
And I didn't get
that chance
to thank her either
for what she had done for me.
Sadly,
a few days after that photo was taken, his mother died.
She was about 43 years old.
As I left the hospital,
she said to me, "Take care, Son."
She was crying.
When I got home,
I got news that she had died.
I get teary-eyed as I remember her.
Because of the positions we played,
me as defense,
him as goalkeeper,
I was logically like a shield for him.
That's how he saw me.
From that moment on,
we became very good friends.
We met when we played in an Antioquia team,
the state team.
When he was 15 and I was 18.
I found it funny
because he played more as a striker than a goalkeeper.
We told him, "What are you gonna do?"
With the skill that he showed,
with the wisdom he played with,
his knowledge of the game,
as we say in the neighborhood,
his game was too naughty, mischievous.
While in the Antioquia team,
I had no money for transport.
I'd sneak on the buses.
The drivers began recognizing me.
So, when they saw me at the University of Antioquia,
they'd send me to the back.
My debut as a professional was in Millonarios.
I was a scrawny little guy
who really didn't look like a goalkeeper because of his height.
Being 1.75 meters tall,
he doesn't convey the certainty and confidence a coach may desire.
The Colombian goalkeeper had sticky situations,
typical of a young immature player,
which we may have to forgive since he shows great potential.
I was there for one season.
And along came Dr. Antonio Franco,
who took me to Atlético Nacional.
All right!
Higuita!
Nacional is the club I hold dearly in my heart.
My debut was funny.
The starting goalkeeper was Lorenzo Carrabs.
The second half started,
and I stayed behind, snacking
at a cafeteria behind the locker room
when they call me through the loudspeaker.
"Mr. José René Higuita, please go to Atlético Nacional's locker room."
He tells me, "Lorenzo was expelled."
Then I go out and I see Maño Ruiz from the corner of my eye.
He was our coach.
I did some great saves.
And from then on, I began earning that position.
Okay, viewers, now René serves the ball with his left hand.
He played a very good nine.
He knew the nines.
And René sensed and guessed what the nines would play.
He dribbled and passed the ball.
I often missed things by looking at the happy crowds.
His daily challenge of the conventional has raised great controversy.
For many, watching his surprise escapes from the area is a treat.
Chasing after the ball or the opponents' legs.
Higuita was Higuita.
He scored over 40 goals in his career
and 35 penalty goals.
René!
Colombia goes for it.
Now Higuita!
René Higuita scores a goal!
René takes one out and dribbles past.
Down the right, he passes.
There's a play where he leaves the box,
runs and takes out all the Junior players.
He reaches the Junior box the one time he made it to the other box.
A penalty isn't ruled.
The man shadowing René…
René Higuita!
-That was a goal! -That was a penalty!
Carrabs, René Higuita's mentor, was covering him.
Absolutely Maradonian and Higuitian.
I charged them 30 grand.
They already paid, so you can rest easy.
Perfect. Okay then.
Sad, you?
I don't buy it.
I love you very much and I wish you well.
René and I were good friends.
We became very close and partied the same.
I don't know. I might have some firewater right now
and make my way to Cali.
At every party and, I believe,
in all acts of indiscipline there ever was,
René Higuita was there.
We'd win the match, then Pacho would frown at me,
"Fine, go off with René."
Higuita is like a kite.
You lift it, let it fly,
but you also bring it in and pull it back.
So that was Hernán.
He dressed very well.
But you know what?
He would wear tight pants,
so everyone could see his cute little butt,
his well-shaped legs. The ladies were dropping dead.
He was even declared Antioquia's sex symbol.
I would go out with René
and we would visit nightclubs.
On one of those nights,
we met Magnolia.
It was all arranged by a school friend
who was in my same class.
RENÉ'S WIFE
She said, "Magnolia, René the soccer player wants your number."
I said, "No."
In my teens, I always wanted a handsome man.
A year later, we got the chance to go out.
Pacho Maturana was there that day, and Bolillo too.
We got out of the car and he introduced me as his girlfriend.
It was the first time we'd ever seen each other.
We met casually.
We started being together, living together.
He told my mom.
He made Pacho Maturana ask for my hand for him.
Then my mom answered him
that all soccer players are scoundrels.
I didn't get married.
The invites were sent, the dress. It stopped there.
I cancelled the court ceremony with René,
and one month later, I was pregnant with Andrés.
And so we both decided we'd get married sometime later,
and it's been 34 years.
So I don't know how much longer it'll be.
I think it's about time
to do one of the few things
that I've really wanted to do, which is getting married.
To get to who we are now as a couple,
we went through a lot of difficulties.
As his fans say,
"Oh, Ms. Magnolia,
aren't you proud to be René Higuita's wife?"
I sure am.
But to make it as René Higuita's wife,
there was a lot to fight against.
Fight many dragons, as they say.
I think that from that time,
we are the only couple that stayed together.
And it hasn't been easy. It's not easy.
I can say,
"Ms. Magnolia,
do you remember the day I asked you to be the mother of my children?"
"Well, I haven't failed you."
Since his first appearance in the Copa Libertadores de América,
Francisco Maturana is obsessed with winning the coveted trophy.
However, Maturana's biggest win in soccer
is not as player, but as coach.
He's known as the mastermind behind the transformation
Colombian soccer is undergoing.
Pacho began to change
many teams' tactical game across the world.
Before, they played with four defenders and a sweeper.
He took out that sweeper
and left the sweep to me.
So we won a player.
I remember telling Pacho that we played with 12 players.
"René may be the goalie,
but when we have the ball, he's the 12th player."
We found someone appropriate for our idea.
I felt that I couldn't come in as the owner of the absolute truth
and say it's this or that way.
I simply understood
that to achieve something, you need a group of friends,
you need a family.
Will this be the Nacional team to end this curse?
A Colombian team has never won a Copa Libertadores.
On top of the final that Deportivo Cali lost in 1978,
three consecutive finals have been lost by America de Cali
in '85, '86, and '87,
in which they were seconds away from winning the title,
until Peñarol's agonizing goal during extra time.
When Nacional reaches the '89 Copa,
it was a great opportunity
for us to show the world we have good people.
Go, green, go!
QUARTER-FINALS
Nacional de Medellín is playing
in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals
against Millonarios, of all teams.
We defeated one of our biggest rivals,
Millonarios.
The ball's for J. J. Tréllez.
He's gonna strike! He kicks!
Goal!
Nacional moves on to the semifinals.
They'll face Uruguay's Danubio.
In the Cup's semifinal,
we defeated Danubio.
And I served the ball
where Palomo comes and…
Palomo kicks right… He scores!
Goal! Amazing! It's a goal!
It was resounding.
Six-zero.
A crushing result for Nacional over Danubio
to qualify for the final of the continental championship.
Nacional has a team full of big names.
We saw América de Cali lose three finals in a row.
We shouldn't get our hopes up.
And so begins the grand finale of Copa Libertadores de America.
Yes, sirree, the match has begun.
It's a match we played with Olimpia,
who were champions already. They were favorite over us.
Fidel comes on to defend the right. Come on, Trencito.
I remember, for instance,
the match we played against the Paraguayans, Olimpia,
was an away game, hence a very hard and complicated game.
Balls kept flying through the air.
And we clung to René Higuita.
Free kick… René!
That's why he's on the Colombian Team.
Gustavo to Rafael.
A left-foot strike!
René Higuita performs a miracle!
Looks for Vicente Amarilla. A header! Go, Rafael!
Great work, great endurance from goalie René Higuita,
but even that didn't save Atlético Nacional
from this two-zero score before Paraguayan Club Olimpia.
Olimpia has won the first half of this match.
FINAL SCORE
After that match against Olimpia,
we returned to Medellín to concentrate and train
because we felt we were capable of turning it around. That was clear.
The first 5,000 fans came to Bogotá,
while another 30,000 left Medellín
in the caravan that was famous before it started.
Neighborhoods came out onto the highway, like when the cyclists passed.
It was a meeting point.
We were strengthened by all of Medellín going to Bogotá.
And at that moment it wasn't Nacional. It was Colombia around its team.
Recovering after such a rough score is hard.
SECOND-LEG MATCH
We can feel it! Atlético is here!
The match is starting, ladies and gentlemen.
Nacional is two goals down.
During the first half,
three forwards looked for the tie,
and we couldn't score.
Nothing at all.
Not a day for El Loco.
Even in his plays,
that were crazy, kind of off-beat,
there was a very calm guy.
And from the back, he'd tell us to be calm.
Nacional still hasn't been able to score those two goals.
In the second half, I decide not to have many strikers and not to hog the ball.
I took out a striker and put in a midfielder to get the ball.
Atlético Nacional runs the ball.
Palomo from the right.
Miño…
Goal!
We were creating and building up
our self-confidence to score
at the right time that we could
tie the series.
Alexis García has the ball.
Header pass to the right. Bendito with a header… Palomo!
Goal!
We tied the series two-two.
GLOBAL SCORE
Then we went to a penalty shoot-out.
We made it to a penalty shoot-out.
This will be madness!
It all comes down to five penalty kicks per team.
The group itself had a lot of confidence in him.
We already knew about his talent blocking penalties.
We trusted him, not God.
How does one feel with that vertigo?
With contrasting emotions and fears.
I had told René,
"At the penalty round, Almeida will be the first."
"Jump to your right."
"Sure, Pacho."
"And the rest?" I said, "They're your problem.
That one's a gift for me."
All of Colombia holds its breath.
And when Almeida goes to kick…
René blocks it. I thought, "There, we've won."
Andrés Escobar…
He shoots. Goal!
He kicks… Goal!
Goal!
Alexis shoots! It's blocked!
Shoots… goal!
We have to tie no matter what.
Olimpia is winning four to three in the penalty round…
I shot the fifth penalty. Ask me how I was feeling.
If I miss that penalty,
we are out.
I was so scared
that I didn't look where I was going to kick.
This one's for the title, René!
René sets off…
The greatest goal, René Higuita!
When it was his turn to kick, he did it masterfully,
showing us and saying,
"Brothers, this is hard,
but, brothers, do it."
He shoots… It's blocked!
It was painful to see everyone was missing the kicks.
And René kept blocking and blocking them.
He was doing the impossible to block the shots,
and we kept missing our strikes.
It was stressful, even embarrassing,
because how much longer was he gonna stop them?
You feel so nervous right there.
It's Perea's turn.
The title is in your hands, Perea.
Man, I can't fail this.
There goes Perea.
We're in your hands.
Perea sets off to the right.
The goalkeeper!
If I scored, that was the end of the series.
Since I missed, we kept going.
He shoots and misses!
Up in the air!
When it was Leonel's turn…
Leonel Álvarez at the gates of glory.
Please, Leonel!
Do it, Leonel!
With his right. Leonel… Yes!
Yeah!
Yes, goal!
Champions!
Do you think you were the key player today?
No, I was one of the key players because the team played well,
and I can't win a match on my own.
I had dreamed of that final.
I had dreamed of being the hero.
I had dreamed of being champions.
He won Copa Libertadores for Nacional. He blocked four penalties.
This is a truly glorious night for Colombian soccer.
Nacional is South America's new champion.
The first cup for our country, a country that was in conflict.
…was in a couch
Scratching his balls, watching Nacional
René was our Maradona.
He was our icon. René was everything to us.
That's when I knew what René was at that time,
an idol to many people.
Right then, Mr. René became more famous.
He made a lot of people see soccer as they see it now.
A sport is a means for distraction,
a means for hanging out,
and a way to get kids out of the clutches of crime,
of not having a chance in life.
He proved that he was a humble kid from a working-class neighborhood
and achieved greatness.
So then another kid can say, "If he did it, why can't I?"
And that makes us proud of him.
His children feel proud.
He is full of love and tenderness.
He is very understanding.
He's loving, thoughtful.
I mean, he's an excellent father.
Come, sit here.
Help me with this photo. Come.
We've had two lives.
The luxury life he offers us, with the traveling,
people recognizing us,
and being "privileged" sometimes.
And the other is my mom's.
My mom is more into farms, the country, animals.
Do you know what it's like living in the city with an icon like this?
You don't have a life, no.
I prefer peace and quiet.
I always take him to isolated places.
We were once in the neighborhood.
It was December.
Someone came and told him,
"René, that girl greeting you is your daughter."
Andrés was about eight.
And Pame was about five.
We were very little.
I was single.
Patricia, Cindy's mom,
had separated.
Then things worked out for us to go out.
And on that date,
she got pregnant with Cindy.
But the mother never told me about it.
Her mom passed away.
When my mom got pregnant, she called her friend,
"Nancy, I'm pregnant."
RENÉ'S DAUGHTER
And it isn't Dario's. It's René's.
That was a secret until I turned ten.
When I was ten,
my dad came by our house to wish us a happy New Year.
Right then, my mom's friend who knew about it came and said,
"René, wish your daughter a happy New Year."
He was shocked.
The next day, he picks me up. We're gonna get a blood test,
and it's positive.
They changed my last name. Everything happened very fast.
I immediately told Cindy I'd step up
and introduce her to Magnolia,
I'd introduce her to her siblings,
and that as long as I could,
I'd fight for her in whatever she needed.
I believe we must take responsibility for our actions.
And because of my love for Magnolia,
regardless of her reaction,
I had to tell her.
It was obviously a surprise.
Cindy is actually older than my children.
And Magnolia took it in stride.
She's like a mother to me.
We ended up taking it in our carry-on.
It was heavy.
He was working in Arabia.
There's no Christmas over there.
There are no buñuelos or natilla.
This man sends us with a suitcase
full of flour for buñuelos and natilla.
-They took us off the plane. -Off every plane.
They asked, "Is this your luggage?"
We said, "Yes." They asked us to open them, so we did.
-That's what it was. -Cornstarch.
Imagine someone with ten bags of this in their suitcase.
Someone with this in their suitcase. No.
And a Colombian.
We have it hard, don't we?
With the DEA.
It was quite the experience.
Good night, Loco. Renato, you know I love you very much.
I send you my love and hugs.
Take care, stay close to your family.
Say hi to Magnolia and the gang.
I wish you the best.
Sometimes, I think back on my sports career,
on teammates and friends I've met along the way,
brothers, love.
And in the love category is El Loco.
El Pibe is my friend and an inspiration to me.
Every conversation brings that inspiration of love,
of showing him that love and affection.
Whatever El Pibe says, I agree.
Why?
Because when I say something,
he also agrees.
So we don't step on each other's toes.
And if we have to say no to something,
we say it back here.
But never in public.
Now,
I'm not just saying this.
It's not to look good. He's my brother. I love him.
El Pibe was criticized a lot
because he was a slow player.
But he was very fast over here.
There's a reason he's the best player of all time,
to me, from Colombia.
Having him there also gave me some peace of mind and confidence.
For it was no secret that,
although there were many playmakers in Colombian soccer,
El Pibe was the best.
He prevailed through hierarchy.
Colombian soccer,
and it's sad to say,
had very good players,
but it wasn't respected internationally.
We spent 28 years without playing in a World Cup.
We didn't really understand why.
We had talent. We had good players.
But the qualifiers came along, and something was missing.
Many things need to change
for us to dream of going to a World Cup again.
The Federation had the idea that Pacho Maturana,
as coach of a successful club at that time,
could coach the national team.
Maturana said goodbye to Nacional.
Now his challenge is to lead the Colombian national team to Italy '90.
Perhaps Pacho Maturana's arrival,
with the Atlético Nacional team as the core of its roster,
will bring back hope.
I hope it's a solid start
for a lot of major things in Colombian sports.
They start playing well.
Colombian soccer becomes organized
in a way that it hadn't been before.
And a very good working group is put together.
As with all big work groups in all companies,
results happen when there is empathy between them.
There was a national protest
surrounding what Maturana had decided with Nacional.
It was called "la rosca paisa."
It was almost like changing their green jerseys for the yellow ones.
I think that was an historic and important decision,
because from then on,
Colombian soccer began taking shape.
There were René and Chonto.
There was Luis Carlos Perea.
There were Andrés Escobar, León Villa, Leonel, who played soccer.
And not only did they play well, they were good people.
He'd add whichever players he could call or wanted to call.
Among them was Pibe Valderrama.
Those kinds of players added to our group.
Maturana sent me a message through Bolillo,
"Look at your faces."
"We'll change the history of Colombian soccer."
That's like the first time we made an impact in the world.
Here in Colombia, there's also good soccer.
And that was our great motivation.
To carry that message,
that there are things other than drug trafficking,
that makes us very excited.
Finally, the work group is formed,
and they get the chance at a repechage against Israel.
Since Chile '62, Colombia hasn't been to a World Cup.
That's many years of failures,
many years of disappointment.
We haven't shown ourselves overseas, and this is a good opportunity to.
The imminent and growing chance for Colombia…
QUALIFIERS ITALY '90
…to return to a World Cup after 27 years of frustration
is the trending topic all over Colombia.
We're live
from the Colombian soccer team locker room.
FIRST-LEG MATCH
First came Israel's team, a solid team.
And in one play,
we defined the match.
There goes Palomo Usuriaga,
delivering the ball with his right foot. Please!
Bendito has it.
Bendito to Palomo.
Nutmeg! Goal!
Against Israel, we had won one-zero in the home game.
And then we go to the Holy Land.
There, we needed a tie.
Colombia is playing this afternoon here in Tel Aviv.
SECOND-LEG MATCH
Colombia-Israel, on Caracol Radio.
The Israeli team started off on the offensive.
We needed to tie.
There goes Higuita with his show in an attempt to stall.
Finally, we end up at 0-0.
OVERALL SCORE
The match is over!
Colombia makes it to Italy and the World Cup!
Twenty-seven years!
The people of Colombia are happy. They're celebrating in the streets.
It's an immense joy for a people who have been through a lot.
It was definitely nothing but joy.
Such happiness for a country
that hadn't been to a World Championship in 28 years.
With Atlético Nacional players at the core of its roster.
The national team, led by Professor Maturana,
has managed to write a memorable page…
PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA
…in the history of sports of Colombia.
What can Colombians expect from you in Italy?
Not much.
In any case, we're getting prepared.
We'll keep working to please our people more.
FIFA WORLD CUP ITALY '90
Italy didn't know what Colombia was.
They had no idea.
We were from the Fifth World.
Not even the Third World when it came to soccer.
Twenty-eight years is two or three generations
without seeing Colombian soccer at an international level.
When we got to the World Cup,
at a press conference
they started asking me about drug trafficking.
They began talking about Pablo Escobar
and the violence.
So I told them that Colombians did not invent drugs.
"Drugs were invented by Italians and Americans."
"But you've gotten out of it now."
"Help us get out of it instead of talking nonsense."
They never brought up drugs again.
We played the United Arab Emirates in a match we had to win.
Colombia is at a complete standstill right now.
René Higuita started doing his thing
by leaving the box with great personality
to head the ball away.
I always said, "This team I have here is good."
And we started playing.
Álvarez crosses the ball. A header…
Goal!
René wants it. Camello down the center.
Carlos is gonna strike… Goal!
World Cup matches aren't easy.
Beating the United Arab Emirates wasn't easy.
A well-deserved win
in Colombia's debut in this World Cup.
If we'd debuted with a defeat,
without anyone knowing us, it would've turned out differently.
It made people set their eyes on Colombia
and Colombians believe
that ranking was feasible.
Everything pointed to Colombia qualifying for the second round.
Yugoslavia was a tough match.
Those guys…
We'd never watched videos of them.
We didn't know how they played.
But when we met them on the field,
we quickly learned their game.
They played like us Latinos.
Watch out for Jozić. He strikes… Goal!
Clearly, we should consider the inexperience
most of our players had.
Handball by Perea in the box. Careful there.
The referee calls a penalty kick for Yugoslavia. What a shame.
René will catch this, I know.
René!
René stopped the penalty kick exquisitely.
I cheered as if it were a goal. All of Colombia did.
He's the only Colombian goalie to block one in a World Cup.
Higuita's penalty save wasn't enough.
It's all or nothing against the World Champion, Germany.
When you're in a short championship, you think, "What do we need to do?"
"We need to win to advance."
"We need to tie to advance."
We still have another shot.
Anything can happen in this World Cup.
I remember we got to the stadium early
and got off the bus and got to the field.
The Germans were already there checking things out too.
We looked at them thinking, "Jeez, those guys are huge!"
We left the locker room at the same time, both teams together.
We play with short studs.
Europeans are used to playing with long studs.
Those guys would walk making a loud noise…
They were warming up, but they seemed like horses with their studs.
"Are they marching to war?"
We got pretty nervous.
Loco comes and says,
"Don't be affected."
"Let them make a fuss. Let them march like horses. We'll win."
And he was right.
We won't be beat by their noise or ruckus.
They did a rather serious foul against El Pibe.
And he protested to Leonel,
"You're gonna let them kill me?"
"When will you hit them?"
The next play, Leonel went for it.
He lunged at Lothar Matthäus and almost injured him.
So the Germans went to the referee, and we went over too.
So that kind of ignited us.
That's when we started playing.
And René is inspiration.
René is peace.
He went out to free the ball a few times, and we all watched.
"We're doing our thing. Let's enjoy this."
René went for it. He snatched a pass to Klinsmann over the top.
Klinsmann, who was much taller than him, and he snatched it from him.
He threw the ball over his head.
I was laughing. It was quite the show.
We thought, "This guy is fearless, brother!"
René leaving the goal was crazy, but there was a reason.
It was a message to the rest, "Hey, if I'm supposed to be back there,
why don't you all do the same?"
Pibe would say, "I'd be ashamed when René went upfield."
He was letting me know, "Damn, go for it!"
I'd think, "I should be attacking, but this big-haired nut beats me to it!"
"If Loco goes out there, why don't I pull off a nutmeg?"
That's the message he sent.
We missed no fewer than 15 chances to score.
We had the best chances to score.
And in one minute, everything changed.
The German team has the ball.
Goal!
I can't believe they scored with two minutes to go.
We were losing in an absolutely unfair way.
Colombia moves it to the midfield.
Bendito moves forward.
And then, Valderrama takes the ball,
and Valderrama passes to Rincón.
With his right foot. Go, Colombia!
The ball goes back to Rincón. Bendito touches it. Pibe… Rincón wants it.
Goal!
We tied on the last play.
It was one of those matches
that you always want to play,
Colombia-Germany.
Rincón!
Colombia, one…
That was the most cheered goal in the history of Colombia soccer.
Colombia!
It brought justice back to the match.
And with that tie,
for the first time, Colombia advanced to a World Cup round of 16.
There were moments that no one thought possible.
It was so exciting.
It's the best Colombian national team game I remember watching.
And I've seen many soccer games.
The way Colombia lived it,
I think it's one of the best played, if not the most exciting match in history.
With the suffering from the last play,
Colombia ties against Germany
for a spot in the World Cup playoffs
for the first time in history.
We remember Higuita in this match against Germany
and in many others
because his presence alone
caused a number of things to happen in the players themselves,
the inner world of the match,
the rivals, the public,
the outside world, in everything.
COLOMBIA, YOU'RE THE BEST
Higuita!
ALL FOR ONE, HIGUITA FOR ALL
We got there, and I remember the guys from Cameroon looking at us
like when you look at someone you admire.
They were, like, watching the Colombians
because the Colombians had just tied with Germany
and they made the headlines for the way they did it.
The Cameroonians were almost asking for those boys' autographs.
Cameroon also had its history.
They'd won their first game against Argentina.
They had a great team.
They were more experienced than us.
What we had was that thrill
of playing on a field that looked like a pool table.
We played a good match.
We were closing space a lot
and we'd come out by devising, by holding the ball.
We played good soccer.
It was one of those spectacular matches we played.
It turns out we went into extra time.
In the first 90 minutes, we ended zero-zero.
Pacho said, "Brother, we have to win this game."
At the Italy '90 World Cup,
I was becoming an icon,
until Milla came along.
Obviously, they'd been keeping the lion well-hidden.
He was the oldest player,
not only on their team, but in the World Cup.
Soccer is right now, not later.
We are losing one-zero.
And there's that saying,
"Either we tie or they score five on us."
"Let's all go for a tie."
And Higuita is quite far from his position, confident as sweeper.
I am the team sweeper.
The ball comes to me,
and I give it to Luis Carlos Perea.
He touches it, passes to his right.
No, Higuita, no! Goal!
I'm on the right.
When Loco gives it to me, I see Roger coming towards me.
I don't control it. I just pass it to El Loco.
I didn't deliver correctly, which would be on the ground.
I have no choice but to dribble.
El Loco tried to do a rabona, a play that he always did,
passing the ball from behind.
But Roger was charging like a train.
I could've missed three or four and it would've been fine.
But there comes Redín.
Four minutes left.
Valderrama could strike.
God help us. Goal!
Goal by Redín!
He played well, and in one play, he risked it all.
-The World Cup was at stake. -He risked--
He'd done everything right, but he gave Colombia away. Too bad.
No one pointed their finger.
No one.
We would've reproached him had he been a different player.
A goal is a product of structure.
We never saw it as an individual mistake.
The structure failed.
I remember the day after that match.
I was with René,
and we started talking about that play.
He said, "Lucho, I made the mistake."
And I said, "No, I was the one who made the mistake."
When the press conference came around, he went like this.
"I'll do it."
When that guy did well, he'd keep quiet.
But when he failed, he'd show his face and say, "I'll do it."
What's next in Higuita's life?
For what you did against Cameroon has been widely discussed.
People aren't too happy about it.
Yes, I made a mistake.
Making mistakes is only human.
Just as I accept praise, I'll take criticism.
And he took all the blame.
That's what you do, face your mistakes. That's what those idols did.
He never said, "It was us. It was Luis Carlos's fault."
With the joy of playing soccer,
we die.
HIGUITA, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE NO.1
YOU'RE THE BEST THANKS, BOYS
We love you!
We love you, Higuita!
We're proud of the Colombian team and Higuita.
In those four games we played,
El Loco Higuita made FIFA think
they could make a change.
Because goalies used to pick up the ball when they returned it,
René Higuita made the international board come to its senses
and change a rule for the sake of soccer.
The Italy '90 World Cup
had the mot amount of time wasted.
And the biggest waste of time was the constant return
from a player to his goalkeeper.
When they saw that I was playing,
they met and said the goalkeeper can play.
That's why they call it Higuita's Rule.
And that's what I gave this world.
And I feel happy and proud
to have left soccer that rule.
What did that lead to?
Today, a goalkeeper who doesn't play with his feet is useless.
Colombia in Italy '90
was a team that made people talk.
It was the Argentina of '86,
or the famous Clockwork Orange.
I think even though they didn't win Italy '90,
it was a relevant team that showed a style.
ONE YEAR LATER
Finally, almost a month after the announcement,
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, capo dei capi of the Medellin Cartel,
one of the most wanted men in the world, surrendered to Colombian justice.
After his transfer to La Catedral Prison
and after ten days under arrest, Pablo Escobar receives a surprise visit…
LA CATEDRAL PRISON
…from idol René Higuita.
I remember we passed the guard,
showed the required permits,
and I run
so as not to keep the people in the car waiting.
And yes, I'm gonna visit La Catedral,
I'll visit La Modelo. I'll visit Bellavista.
I've visited the church.
I've gone to nightclubs.
I've visited, well, many places.
Why? Because I'm an idol,
a well-known person.
If I'm invited somewhere, I can't say no.
As I was leaving La Catedral,
a journalist asks me
if I was friends with Pablo Escobar.
And I said yes.
That made his life very, very difficult.
I think there's nothing weird about it, and I don't owe anyone anything.
You journalists create the headlines.
You're the ones who fix or ruin our country's image.
How's Mr. Pablo?
Fortunately, very well.
The thing is, before Pablo Escobar was known as the drug lord,
Pablo Escobar was a congressman.
He campaigned.
And during his campaigns, I met him.
When no one would admit it, I said, "Yes, he's my friend."
The truth is many people would approach my brother
out of interest.
But René was totally different from all his friends.
René and Pablo's friendship was very simple.
PABLO ESCOBAR'S BROTHER
It was nothing but friendship.
There was nothing strange or weird about it.
The world's number one cocaine trafficker remains a fugitive from prison.
Pablo Escobar is out on the run?
We're working very hard on it.
And we expect to have positive results.
When we escaped La Catedral Prison,
at that time,
René was a very special person.
All René did was help people.
So, sure, they turned to René to mediate in that situation
with the girl.
30 DAYS AFTER THE KIDNAPPING
I left that meeting,
and if I'm not mistaken, about a month later,
I get a call.
So I go see the worried father whose daughter was kidnapped.
At that time, we used cassettes.
And they'd recorded the call between the kidnappers and the family.
We need someone trustworthy,
because I don't really trust anyone.
So during that discussion, he says, "I want nothing to do with you."
The father said,
"Higuita is the one who's going to help us with this."
Starting today, you'll put me on the line with the man.
He and I will figure this out.
If I see a cop over there near your house,
you know what will happen to the girl.
So it was gonna be easier to fix things that way
without putting the girl at risk than maybe…
them telling the authorities and suffering retaliation.
So I think that's why he called me,
for things to be done very quietly.
With the guarantee that they wouldn't use the police,
that they wouldn't tell anyone,
because he wanted to protect the girl.
He told me, "Honey, I'm gonna do this."
"I can't ignore this situation."
I put myself and my children in that position.
I grabbed the money,
put it in the car,
and went home.
That day, I went with a guy who worked with me,
driving a taxi for me.
I think it was in the city, but I never knew for sure.
I didn't know where I was.
I had no idea what was around me.
I guess it was Medellín
because it was a barrio and a modest house.
I never had the chance to communicate with my family that month.
I listened to the radio a lot,
because maybe they'd talk about me on the news or something.
The death toll in Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking
has been very high.
Two ministers of justice,
three presidential candidates,
150 judges, two dozen journalists…
I had no idea how many of them there were,
what they were doing, or if they were outside keeping watch.
Every day I was afraid they'd do something to me,
that they would abuse me,
that I wouldn't live to tell the story.
Every day, I was afraid.
On Friday at about five o'clock, after they gave me the money,
they start calling, "What's up, Loco?"
"Where's the girl?"
Until four or five in the morning.
When the four guys arrived
for the money that I had at home,
I ask for Marcela.
They tell me I have to trust them.
But Marcela was nowhere to be found.
So what went through my head was,
"How are we going to do this?"
The guy who stayed behind,
some time after 1:00 pm on a Saturday…
He finally gets the call and says, "Let's go."
When he left, of course, I was very nervous.
I wondered what could happen.
At that time, you don't expect anything bad to happen.
Come on, girl.
The last day, after one month, on May 29, 1993,
they rushed me out to tell me to get out.
I left without ever taking a bath,
in ragged clothes.
I was put in a car.
Where are you taking me?
And after driving around Medellín several times,
the moment I got out, they said I had to go to another car
that was parked in front of us.
I didn't even have time to ask. I just walked.
I walked and walked.
We stopped there, in the middle of UPB University.
When I parked,
students started gathering around me
to ask me for an autograph.
He was signing autographs for other kids at the time.
Marcela tells me, "René."
I tell her, "Girl, just a minute."
He looked at me and said, "Sorry, I'm busy signing autographs."
It's me!
"René, I'm Marcela."
I thought she wanted an autograph,
and it was Marcela.
And when I said that, he went crazy.
Right away, he put me in the car.
He was also scared,
I'm sure we both were.
From there, he drove like a madman to my house, to my parents' house.
He drove on sidewalks. He ran red lights.
He was utterly terrified and excited.
Little by little, on the way, I asked him why him.
He explained that he was doing us a big favor
and that his only goal at the time
was to get me home safely.
So much so, that on the way we ran into a relative of mine,
and when I saw that family member,
I told him, "Stop, it's so-and-so."
And he said, "Stop?"
"Are you crazy? I'm taking you straight home."
We made it home.
And from then on, there was nothing but joy when he saw me.
He did that big favor for me.
He got me home safe and sound, with my parents.
At their house, they had a huge party.
"We missed you, Marcela."
I remember, at the party, they began talking
about the favor I'd done for them.
I told them, "I'm happy with the party."
I didn't come here for money.
"This is a token from the family. This is a thank you."
"No."
The first thing they said was,
"Don't say no."
They gave me 50,000 dollars.
We saw it as something very normal
and that there could be no consequences.
Up to that point, everything was good.
But the same day I got a call from the Prosecutor's Office.
They were looking for us.
What charge are you here for today?
René, what are the charges?
I don't know. Ask the prosecutor. He'll be glad to let you know.
René, do you feel innocent?
Then we were worried.
He thought he was just going in, giving his side of the story,
and that would be it.
If you mean the charges and arrest of Higuita,
this was done in response to a court order
from the Prosecutor's Office issued today.
One day, we were out of town for safety reasons,
and I watched what was going on on the news.
He had been detained.
Like the worst criminal in the world, they were taking him to jail.
The press didn't even understand or know what was going on.
And I remember very well that they said he kidnapped me.
They sent two helicopters for me to go to Bogotá.
In Bogotá, I was welcomed by 20-or-so-car escort.
And the news said that I was practically the kidnapper,
not even the intermediary.
Their coverage of me
was bigger than their coverage of Colombia's worst drug lord.
When I saw in the news
that he was being taken away in handcuffs,
it hurt a lot because
he wasn't a criminal.
HERE, THE MAN ENTERS, NOT THE CRIME
So it's not true that checks and documents
link him to drug trafficking?
Not in the police proceedings carried out today.
I think it was mostly to intimidate him into being a snitch
in case he knew where Pablo Escobar was or something.
WANTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
Some senator at the time,
the one behind Law 40,
he said, "Investigate René Higuita."
"He knows where The Boss is."
WANTED
Law 40 established that whoever,
whether directly or indirectly,
benefited economically from a kidnapping crime
would merit imprisonment.
The other misconduct consisted
of having knowledge of a kidnapping crime
and not reporting it to the authorities, which was also considered a crime.
When respecting the law
implies putting life and freedom at serious risk,
in that case, that conduct of abiding the law is not enforceable.
Then they told me to hand in Pablo
and I wouldn't have to go to jail.
Then they started mistreating me,
calling me names like motherfucker and son of a bitch,
saying I'd rot in jail.
They blackmailed him and perhaps he didn't say he was also tortured.
Before taking him to Bogotá in handcuffs, with TV cameras,
in a helicopter,
as if he was one of those criminals that are captured once in a lifetime,
he was tortured
in a municipality near Medellín.
RENÉ'S FRIEND
They kept saying,
"Tell us where Pablo is and we'll let you go."
Believe it or not,
they were negotiating with me.
And Pablo Escobar was what they were bargaining for.
They practically proposed,
"Give me Pablo and you won't be charged."
At first, I took the children once or twice.
The environment wasn't…
It was hard.
He told me, "Don't bring them again."
"I'll see them when I'm out of here."
I have vague memories
from the prison entrance.
Some officer carrying me,
and my mother walking in through a different door.
I cried because I was separated from my mom.
I thought the police would take me.
It was a pretty complicated nine months,
especially for my mother, for him,
for his grandmother,
the one who suffered the most when she saw her son,
because she raised him as her son.
At the jail, I remember
his grandma went to visit him in prison,
and she collapsed.
She couldn't bear to see her grandson in that situation.
I think it was very unfair.
When I went to the jail and saw him, I started crying.
Before I left, he said, "I'm gonna play a soccer match."
I said, "How can you, man?"
"He's played everywhere. He's played international tournaments and cups."
He said, "I'm playing with everyone in jail."
Everyone was badmouthing René,
saying he was into drug trafficking.
For us, as his friends, it was a very difficult situation.
The people, all the Colombians,
demanded my freedom.
I remember that the union was stronger in us,
both in Nacional and players at the national level,
not to mention the national team,
because we kept asking for that
and we knew he was there unjustly.
He was a part of us.
He was a member of our body,
of our team.
There were other goalkeepers,
but that wasn't the thing.
The thing was that our goalie was René.
That deprived us of having René at the qualifying rounds.
Colombia plays to qualify for the '94 US World Cup.
A tie against Argentina is enough to qualify.
ELIMINATION ROUND US '94
Hugs to everyone in Colombia.
We imagine the entire country is paralyzed.
The only absence this team still feels
is idol René Higuita, still in prison,
who will also miss this decisive match.
From the moment we arrived in Buenos Aires,
we were convinced that we weren't going to lose.
We were convinced that we would qualify,
because a tie would be enough.
Argentina could be left out of the World Cup,
Maradona sat in the stands.
That match was especially tense.
The players have spoken out against René's arrest,
and they demand his release.
They're not playing for Colombia,
but for their friend, their teammate, their idol.
Colombia!
Yes! Colombia! Goal!
Goal!
Amazing!
Goal!
Yes, goal!
Colombia five, Argentina zero.
The Colombians are called again.
The public wants them to join in applause.
Applause of excitement,
applause of greatness
in this dramatic elimination round.
Gentlemen, Colombia is going to the United States!
I would like to congratulate the Colombian national team
for what they've done for this nation.
This is the biggest sports triumph in all of Colombia's history.
Then Luis Carlos comes my way, gives me a big hug.
He knocks off my headphones on live radio.
All Colombian radio and TV stations,
all over the world, people stuck with our broadcast.
And in all the matches we won in the qualifiers,
we asked for Loco's release.
We did it.
For our families,
for René Higuita.
René!
And the first thing the guys did when they walked into the locker room
was hug each other
and shout, "Freedom for Higuita!"
Higuita!
That's the first thing we did,
ask for René's release.
We chanted it, shouting at the top of our lungs.
LIVE FROM "EL CAMPÍN" STADIUM
A grand ovation
to René Higuita.
Freedom!
They didn't listen, but their ears were burning.
And while we were at it, we also paid him homage.
He deserved to be there,
because he was that group.
Higuita!
Freedom!
LIVE "EL CAMPÍN" STADIUM
TWO MONTHS LATER
Colombians,
a few hours ago,
I received confirmation from the Ministry of Defense
of the death of narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar
at the hands of the Search Bloc.
COLOMBIAN POLICE KILL PABLO ESOBAR GAVIRIA
HEAD OF MEDELLÍN CARTEL SHOT DOWN 16 MONTHS AFTER ESCAPING PRISON
All the headlines are talking about the eventual release of René Higuita.
It seems the pleas of the idol and the Colombian people have been heard.
Every media…
The idol René Higuita could be released next Monday.
Is it finally confirmed that René Higuita will be freed next Monday?
After paying bail which, as I said,
tops out at 100 salaries, a high sum.
On Monday, in Medellín, we will be raising that amount,
and we hope that about
probably Monday afternoon or Tuesday at the latest,
René will back in the city of Medellín.
Prosecutor De Greiff didn't want to let me out.
In the end,
I was being released, I think, on the 29th.
And to prove he was in charge,
he kept me locked up until the first.
Long live freedom, René!
It's an unconstitutional law.
The constitution cannot be violated this way.
So this is to give a little more clarity
to the legal issue and the existing law.
Do you think your international image has deteriorated?
No, it makes it even better.
Because giving your life
and being in jail for doing a humanitarian deed
isn't something just anyone would do.
It was a year we lost,
a year the kids missed out on sharing with their dad.
But he got out.
It's impossible to explain. We are truly very happy
to receive from the Colombian people, who really love him.
The trial continued
and now I'm no longer in trouble with the law.
I came out innocent of the charges.
He says he's a perfectly imperfect being.
Everything that has led him to be what he is today
has been a chain of mistakes.
I put myself in his shoes and what he went to prison for,
and I say, "That's my dad."
I don't think he'd change that part of his life, of his story,
because that gesture really makes him who he is.
And I know it's something that he would do again.
Now that you know about this law,
if they told you, "Higuita, I need your help
because a relative of mine was kidnapped," would you do it again?
Now that I know that law, I'd do it again.
I think if it's to save a life,
to bring joy to a home,
I believe I wouldn't hesitate.
He went to jail as one person
and came out of jail as the same person.
Regardless of people's comments,
a downcast René Higuita carries on on the training field.
He returned to soccer as the same great player, no insecurities.
And yes, they insulted him and said things,
but he didn't react. He never reacted.
All the variables had to come together for René not to go to the '94 World Cup.
First, it was physically impossible for him to reach the level
after nine months in jail.
He had no way to train or compete.
The food was obviously not a high-performance athlete's diet.
Look how life is.
He doesn't go to the '94 World Cup, but that year,
he ends up winning the Colombian tournament with Nacional Atlético.
COLOMBIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 1994 FINAL
I came out with a chip on my shoulder.
That gave me a lot more courage, and I expressed that courage on the field.
He leaves it to Alexis. Score, Alexis!
He gets in the box.
Juan Carlos!
And on that field I won a tournament, which was in '94.
To me, it's a big reward.
It's a gift I want to share with all of my friends,
with my family, who's suffered a lot.
1994 was an excellent year for René Higuita,
especially in sports.
Remember that was his first title with Atlético Nacional
in the Colombian league.
1995 starts off a lot more positive
for Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita.
What's your opinion on René Higuita's return to the national team?
I think it's normal.
He's a good player, a goalkeeper who's shown, with Atlético Nacional,
that he's back in good shape to play soccer.
How do you feel?
Really good.
It's like arriving to an unknown place, somewhere new,
but we have the mentality that they're paths we've travelled before.
René has had opportunities,
but not by chance, but because many times he's created them.
I'm shooting an advertisement for a soda.
There was a part where I was playing with some kids.
I'm in the goal,
and this kid hits the ball with his chest
and does a bicycle kick.
And I just did, like, a backwards bicycle kick.
It was godsend.
And as I stood in the goal,
before the match, the boys would strike at me.
And I'd do the scorpion.
Two years later, it was ready.
That's when I decided,
"I'm gonna do it."
Where?
Wherever they shoot the ball at me.
Whether in Castilla…
or in Wembley.
LONDON ENGLAND
For the Colombian national team,
it's an important international showcase
for each of its players.
FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL
ENGLAND VS COLOMBIA
As fate would have it,
in the world's temple of soccer, with his Colombian national team,
this English boy shoots the ball he needed.
That was the one.
And the ball is perfect.
Higuita repels it!
It's madness!
Unreal!
Goodness me!
An incredible maneuver.
It could be a foul…
I thought I blew it.
They've always called me a clown.
And here's me proving them right.
El Pibe was also worried I'd get told off.
The first half ends, and I said, "This is gonna get ugly."
I was waiting for Bolillo, the coach, to come.
When Bolillo comes in…
I get to the locker room, and say,
"Hey, don't you ever do that to me again because I had my heart in my mouth!"
"You're gonna kill me one day."
I don't know if he laughed. He said, "I won't do it again."
Something like that.
It was spectacular.
Afterwards, I enjoyed watching it over and over.
They shoot the ball straight down the middle.
I thought, "No problem."
The linesman lifted his flag.
When I do the scorpion and the ball leaves the area,
the linesman lowers the flag.
It gave brilliance to the play.
"Go play!"
The play was invalidated, but anyways,
what René Higuita just did…
I say this was God's work, because it came out perfect.
He who leaves a mark in life,
but especially in that sport,
isn't necessarily the best player,
doesn't necessarily block the most balls,
doesn't necessarily score the most goals.
It's whoever does majestic things
that no one expects.
And that was René Higuita.
In 2009, after playing for 14 teams over 23 years, scoring 43 goals
and representing his country for 12 years, Higuita retires from professional soccer.
He ended up playing for his beloved team.
Not playing professionally,
but he did retire from soccer with the Nacional jersey.
And for some years now, he's been part of Atlético Nacional's technical staff.
I see all the good in René.
He may have things people don't like,
but I like everything about him,
because René is like the happiness adults feel
when their kids are okay.
And René is doing fine.
No one can take away from René
his love for his neighborhood, for his friends.
Youngsters.
-Good evening. -Good evening.
What's up, kid? How are you?
René never ever leaves that barrio.
The most important thing is friendship,
and he taught us to be loyal friends.
-You'll make me cry. -Right?
I have many anecdotes like that, "Come, let's go somewhere."
But if René goes, they give us great support.
He cancels appointments to go with us.
Most of my friends are from my barrio.
It's quality people and humane people, people who love me.
Forgetting where you're from, I think that would be ingratitude.
Being an authentic person makes him even greater.
René Higuita is a role model.
I'm not just saying that because I'm his son,
I also say it as a Colombian.
He's focused on looking after his family. Family is his priority.
There's nothing above his family.
Andrés says he looks a lot like my dad on his first communion.
He watches lots of Dad's videos. He goes, "Look at Grandpa!"
I love my duckling very much.
I love René,
because of who he is as a human being. I wouldn't change that essence.
His humility.
I think we all take that from him.
And that human part for which he's known.
We try to enjoy every day to the fullest.
He doesn't know what he did for me and my family.
He can't see how big it was.
We share the same birthday.
It's one of life's coincidences, having him so close.
I have a 10-year-old son
who loves soccer.
He knows this story better than anyone. He just doesn't know who the hero is.
When he's old enough, I will tell him, of course.
Very few people in the world have managed to become so easily recognizable.
I think he's left a legacy,
not just for our country,
not only for his family,
but for all of society.
Higuita keeps the ball!
When we played soccer,
the worst player or the chubby one got sent to the goal.
René Higuita gave the goalkeeper position pride and status.
René is one of the biggest legends
of world soccer,
if not the greatest of Colombian soccer.