[1][2] Sports historian Andreas Campomar praises the maneuver as remarkable, noting that it "demonstrated that the spectacle had not died: that the game, in spite of its many flaws, could provide moments of glory that had little to do with just victory or defeat.
"[3] The move gets its name from the player's resemblance to a scorpion's tail while performing the kick.
Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita is attributed with the invention of this skill.
[4] One of his best known performances of the maneuver occurred at Wembley Stadium during a 1995 international friendly match between Colombia and England.
[7] Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimović is a notable exponent for the standing scorpion kick,[8] while the Italian defender Giuseppe Biava is a notable exponent for the spinning scorpion kick.