Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe World Cup is the ultimate global showcase of the beautiful game. On the pitch, its the pinnacle of hundreds of careers every four years. The purity of international football is unmatched.Its also a commercial behemoth operating at the apex of sport and sponsorship, with official partners investing heavily while the sun shines and a bottomless pit full of brands big and small completely missing the point.Watch any commercial break during a World Cup game and youll see an avalanche of football fakery: fake fans doing fake fan things like absolute lads nobody watches England in the pub wearing war paint and stylised football that bears no resemblance to the real thing.Play our free match predictor and win �1kCelebrating the scorpion kickYoure likely to see some outlandish manoeuvres in football-adjacent advertising. Counter-attacks routinely end with bicycle kicks for some reason, and players riding slide tackles using a bizarre array of toe drags.You might even see a scorpion kick, portrayed as a normal skill deployed by players to frame them as something a bit special. Its not normal. Most football supporters around the world will make it from birth to the grave without ever seeing one in the flesh. You may like I was touched by God's grace that day Olivier Giroud recalls his stunning scorpion kick goal against Crystal Palace in 2019 The greatest World Cup diving headers of all time Explaining the new kick-off trend at the 2026 World Cup But the thing about the scorpion kick is it is, at least, a real thing. It does happen, and when it happens its both a useful improvisation and a visually jaw-dropping technique.There are two different kinds of scorpion kick.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The first, the one thats represented in the otherworldly environment of football-based ads, is very occasionally used by an outfield player to pull off a shot on goal where none appears possible.With the ball in the air, above waist height and behind the run of a player facing towards the opposition goal, the ambitious attacker chooses to throw themselves forward and hook a foot upwards behind their back.The players foot strikes the ball towards goal while behind the back and higher than the head, a move referred to as the scorpion kick because it resembles the curled tail of a scorpion poised to sting. What to read next Ranked! The 15 greatest World Cup goals youve probably forgotten The 15 best football adverts EVER Michael Olise turns down at least �2 million every year so he can play in football boots that match his kit Dominic Solanke, Olivier Giroud and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all scored variations of the scorpion kick in the Premier League, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it look standard while playing for Paris Saint-Germain.The second type of scorpion kick and perhaps the one best associated with the term, belongs wholly to the legendary Colombia goalkeeper Rene Higuita, who took the skill to a whole new level during a dreadful international friendly against England at Wembley in 1995.Higuita, sporting a very heavy-duty pair of tracksuit bottoms, dived forward and watched a mis-hit Jamie Redknapp cross float over his head before hooking both feet upward behind him and clearing the ball off the line.It was a beautiful moment of stunning skill often said to be in vain because the target of Redknapps cross might have been offside.It was later revealed that the goal would have counted if the cross had drifted in directly, with the referee not having blown his whistle as reported.TOPICSZlatan IbrahimovicDominic SolankeOlivier GiroudHenrikh MkhitaryanEnglandColombiaChris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.
