Some people are born to play football, and some players are born to score goals. Gabriel Batistuta didn’t even plan to be a professional, but his talent for piercing rival networks ended up deciding his destiny. A tireless worker and indomitable scorer, he had a cannon to hit with both legs, a hammer to the head, and an unrepeatable quality for his shots to take the direction of goal His corpulence and agility allowed him to make incredible shots, and the passion with which he shouted each goal made him an icon of Florence. Today, in SoccerStation, we remember an unrepeatable forward; the best nine in the history of Argentine football. Relax and enjoy getting to know the Legend,” Batigol,” the scorer who blew up the opposing nets, until he couldn’t walk.
GABRIEL BATISTUTA: Scored Goals until HE RAN OUT OF LEGS
The Beginnings of Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta was born on February 1, 1969, in Avellaneda, and grew up in the neighboring city of Reconquista, north of the province of Santa Fe, in Argentina. Since he was little, he was in love with sports, and at a young age, Batistuta still combined the practice of basketball, volleyball, and soccer, which ended up becoming part of his life by chance. The Argentine youth team had scheduled a match in Corrientes, but heavy rain suspended the match and took them to the city of Reconquista, where they organized a match with the local team. Batistuta was called up to play the game and left scoring the two goals that gave his team the victory. His performance impressed South Newell’s Old Boys, and they tried to convince him to enlist in their quarry. Batistuta put his studies before playing a sport, of which he was not even a fan, but he finally agreed to try a year in the Lepers’ youth team.
From River to Boca
In Rosario, they polished the characteristics of Batistuta, which in just six months went from the fourth division to playing with the first team. He debuted in September 1988, won the Argentine championship, and played in the Copa Libertadores final that Newell’s lost to Nacional de Montevideo. His 8 goals in 28 games caught the attention of River Plate, where it also lasted only one season. Batistuta started as a starter, but with the arrival of Daniel Pasarella as a millionaire coach, he ended up being relegated to the bench. The Kaiser did not trust his game, so despite winning another national League, he had to leave and transfer. Batistuta almost returned to Newell’s, but Boca Juniors made him an offer, and he accepted the challenge. Bati signed up for the Xeneize team, where he would demonstrate his class inside the area. During the 11 months he wore the blue and gold shirt, Batistuta formed a lethal couple with Diego Latorre, and he won the 1991 Clausura Tournament.
The Argentina Scorer
His 19 goals in 47 games earned him a call-up to the Argentine National Team, which he participated in and won the 1991 Copa America. His 6 goals in the South American tournament made him the top scorer of the tournament, provoking the interest of the big European teams. Fiorentina chose the Argentine as a replacement for Robert Baggio, and with his arrival in Italy, he reached what was then the best league in the world. After an adaptation period, Batistuta confirmed himself as one of the best finishers in the league, scoring 13 goals and managing to place the Viola team in the middle of the table.
An Unexpected Descent
In a single year, Batistuta had earned the respect of the Viola fans, who at the beginning of 1992 lived the beginning of the new season with hope. With the signings of Stefan Effemberg and Brian Laudrup, Fiore was running to be at the top of the table. However, the team’s campaign did not go as expected, and despite Batigol’s 16 goals, the Viola team ended up being relegated to Series B.
Two-time Champion of America
After winning the 1992 Copa del Rey Fahd with Argentina, Batistuta attended the 1993 Copa América, where the Albiceleste became champion again. His double in the end against Mexico placed him as one of the best nines in the world, for which he received proposals from several teams. Real Madrid, Milan, and Manchester United wanted to sign him, but Batistuta preferred to stay in Italy to return Fiorentina to first place. With Claudio Ranieri as a coach, the Lion King contributed another 16 goals, and Fiore won the Serie B championship and was promoted.
With the satisfaction of having fulfilled his duty, Batistuta was decisive in qualifying Argentina United States World Cup. In his first World Cup appearance, Batistuta scored 3 goals against Greece and would score another in the round of 16. The Albiceleste started as favorites to beat Romania, but Maradona’s positive and expulsion after testing positive in the anti-doping control caused his return home in the first World Cup key.
Capocannoniere
Upon his return to Calcio, Batistuta reached the best moment of his sporting career. Fiorentina was close to reaching the European positions, and Batigol scored 26 great goals that helped him become the Capocannoniere.
That year, Batistuta asked Ranieri to let him spend Christmas in Argentina, and the coach proposed a challenge: “If I score in 11 consecutive days, I will give you permission”. Said and done, Batigol overcame the challenge, and his coach kept his promise.
The Argentine striker was still a target for the big teams, but Batistuta was not going to stop until he won a title with the Viola team. In the 95-96 season, he managed to qualify Fiorentina in fourth place, and thanks to his 27 goals in all competitions, he managed to lift his first trophies, the Italian Cup and Super Cup.
That trophy allowed him to compete in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, where he managed to score 4 goals and was one step away from his first European final. His great goal at the Camp Nou remained in the memory of the Barcelona fans, who dreamed of signing him in the summer of 1997. The march of Ronaldo placed him as the best replacement, but coach Louis Van Gaal did not want him and opted for the signing of Sonny Andersson.
World Cup France 1998
Batigol stayed another year in Florence and focused on reaching his second World Cup. In the national team, he met again with Passarella, who, after relegating him to the bench in River, would cut his hair. Despite the absurd eccentricity of his coach, Batistuta accepted and was once again his team’s top scorer in France 98. The Albiceleste “9” scored the winning goal against Japan and, a few days later, scored a hat trick against Jamaica that made him the only footballer in history to complete a hat trick in two different World Cups. With his goal against England, he helped Argentina advance to the quarterfinals, where they would fall to the Netherlands due to the genius of Dennis Bergkamp.
Champion with Roma
After the World Cup disappointment, Batistuta continued scoring goals for Fiorentina, but his body was beginning to fail him. Knee and ankle pain were becoming more frequent, but it did not prevent him from continuing to shine. With his goals, he managed to qualify Fiore for the Champions League, and in the 99-2000 season, he set his record for goals, scoring 29 goals in all competitions. Fiorentina was still far from the greats of Italy, and after nine seasons in Florence, Batistuta decided to look for new challenges. Capello’s Roma paid 36 million euros for his signing, and the Argentine said goodbye to Artemio Franchi just one goal away from being Fiore’s all-time top scorer, with 207 goals in 333 games.
Roma offered Batistuta the number 9 and the captain’s armband, but the Argentine renounced those privileges to respect Totti and Montella. His great objective was to achieve the Scudetto, and thanks to his twenty goals, he managed to fulfill his dream. La Loba won her third title after 18 years of waiting, and Batigol became a Romanist legend.
Bitter farewell to their third World Cup
That title completed a wonderful career that was coming to an end. The following season, the forward began to have injuries very frequently, and the pain in his knee and ankles became unbearable. Batistuta lowered his performance a lot but saved what little energy he had left to play in his third World Cup, that of Korea and Japan. Marcelo Bielsa’s Argentina had an incredible squad, and Bati continued his love affair in the World Cups. The Albiceleste striker scored the winning goal against Nigeria, although after that match, everything went to waste. England took revenge on Argentina in the second match, and the draw against Sweden caused an unexpected elimination. Batistuta said goodbye to the World Cups and the Argentine national team with that disappointment, but after eleven glorious years he became his country’s top scorer. His records of 56 goals in 78 games, 10 World Cup goals, and his three titles with the Albiceleste have only been surpassed by an alien named Leo Messi.
From Inter to Qatar
At 33 years old, Batistuta played half another season with Roma, with whom he scored 33 goals in 87 games. His loss as a protagonist led him to a brief loan with Inter Milan, where he played 12 games and scored 2 goals. Crushed by joint injuries and influenced by his father’s Arab ancestry, Batigol left Italy for Qatar, where he would end his career in the ranks of Al-Arabi. There, he spent two seasons where he scored 24 goals in 27 games and won a trophy for the championship’s top scorer.
Traumatic Withdrawal
The greatest center-forward in the history of Argentine football retired at the age of 35 after scoring 356 goals in 633 games. His goals and sacrifices made people enjoy himself, but the infiltrations he underwent throughout his career began to take their toll on him. As soon as he left football, Batistuta could barely walk and felt such intense pain in his ankles that he asked his doctor to amputate his legs. Batistuta had to urinate in bed because he was unable to get up, but after years of much suffering, a miraculous prosthesis managed to end his ordeal.
This has been the story of Gabriel Batistuta, the forward who scored goals until he could no longer walk.
