Modern goalkeepers such as the Brazilian Ederson of Manchester City, his compatriot Alisson Becker, the Liverpool defender in the Premier League and the German giant Manuel Neuer of Bayern, have become a milestone in modern game plans.

But until FIFA changed the back-pass rule thirty years ago, goaltenders rarely used their feet to participate in building play from behind, other than to throw them the farthest on the field. They took their time, and even more to throw the ball.

Former Colombia goalkeeper René Higueta, whose horrendous scorpion kick, claims he is responsible for changing that rule.

“Great players like Pele and Diego Maradona… are good players, but they haven’t changed any FIFA rules,” Higueta told AFP via video link.

In Colombia, the decision to prevent the guards from making a backdoor with their own hands is known as “Base Higueta”.

The leadership of world football decided to act after the 1990 World Cup in Italy, after strong criticism of the intensity of boring matches, which resulted in a low performance of 2.2 goals per game.

Higueta believes he paved the way for changing the law during his participation in that World Cup.

FIFA enforced a back pass ban at the next Olympics in June and July 1992, confusing the defensive line and goalkeepers.

“FIFA put an end to what was terrible: in the 1990 World Cup, almost all the teams passed back to the goalkeeper,” historian Luciano Wernicki told AFP.

In that edition, goalkeepers such as Argentine Sergio Goycoechea, Costa Rican Luis Gabilo Conejo and Italian Walter Zenga, according to the Argentine, “held the ball for a long time.”

Higueta stood out not only for his hairdo or clumsy jumping, but also for his courage when the ball was at his feet and his ability to create attacking situations with his passes.

But not all of his views were rosy, as it ended up costing his team dearly.

In the round of 16, Higueta lost the ball from his own box to veteran Cameroonian Roger Millet when he was trying to beat a standout striker in extended time.

Milla rushed with the ball, scoring the winning goal to eliminate Colombia. His celebratory dance after scoring two goals in a 2-1 win was a milestone in the historic scenes of the World Cup.