Former great goalkeeper Rene Higuita claims that he is the reason why goalkeepers are no longer allowed to pick up the ball with their hands after back passes.
– Footballers like Pele and (Diego) Maradona… They were very good, but they didn’t change the rule, says Higuita.
Skilled goalkeepers on their feet, such as Manchester City’s Ederson, Alisson Becker and Bayern Munich’s. Manuel NeuerIt is the norm in football today.
But until FIFA banned goalkeepers from receiving passes from their hands 30 years ago, the case was quite different. Goalkeepers can take their time and throw the ball instead.
FIFA decided to act after the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy after the tournament was heavily criticized with a record-low average of 2.2 goals per game.
Former Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita claims that during this tournament he showed the way forward.
“No rule has changed”
Higuita, known as “El Loco” (The Crazy), excelled because he was completely unafraid with the ball at his feet. During his career, he also took care of penalty shootouts and free kicks.
“Footballers like Pele and (Diego) Maradona … were very good, but they did not change a rule,” Higuita told AFP.
The new FIFA rule was then put into use at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. In Colombia it is called the “Higuita Base”.
Argentine historian Luciano Wernick agrees that Higuita was unique, but disputes this theory.
– It’s not that the rule changed because of Higuita, but because of all the goalkeepers who weren’t like him.
“Best change in 40 years”
The effect after the rule change was immediate. At the 1994 World Cup in the USA, the number of goals per game was 2.7, the highest number since 1970.
Wernicke says it’s the best rule change in the last 40 years, it’s made football more dynamic.
– Now (football) is much faster, there are more movements, and every day goalkeepers have to work a little more on their feet to give something to the team, says Higuita.
Responsible or not, Higuita also supports other actions that can help reduce pollution, such as stopping the clock when the ball is out of play.
There’s a lot of talk about introducing efficient playing time like in basketball, and it’s not a bad idea, says Higuita.