After beginning his career in Argentina in 1988 withNewell's Old Boys, followed byRiver Plate andBoca Juniors where he won titles, Batistuta played most of his club football withSerie A clubFiorentina inItaly; he istheir all-time top scorer in Serie A with 151 goals.[6] When Fiorentina wasrelegated toSerie B in1993, Batistuta stayed with the club and helped them return to the top-flight league a year later. He became an icon in Florence; the Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996, in recognition of his performances for the club.[7] Despite winning theCoppa Italia and theSupercoppa Italiana with the club in 1996, he never won the Serie A title with Fiorentina, but when he moved toRoma in 2000 for €36 million – the highest fee ever paid for a player over the age of 30 untilCristiano Ronaldo moved fromReal Madrid to Juventus in 2018 – he won the2000–01 Serie A title.[8] After a brief loan spell withInter Milan in 2003, he played his last two seasons inQatar withAl-Arabi before he retired in 2005.[9]
Batistuta was born on 1 February 1969 to slaughterhouse worker Omar Batistuta and school secretary Gloria Zilli, in the town of Avellaneda,province ofSanta Fe, Argentina, but grew up in the nearby city ofReconquista. He has three older sisters, Elisa, Alejandra, and Gabriela.[14] Batistuta is aRoman Catholic. At the age of 16, he met Irina Fernández, his future wife, at herquinceañera, a rite of passage on her 15th birthday. On 28 December 1990, they were married at Saint Roque Church.[15]The couple moved toFlorence, Italy, in 1991, and a year later their first son, Thiago, was born.[16] Thanks to good performances in the Italian championship and with the Argentina national team, Batistuta gained fame and respect. He filmed several commercials and was invited onto numerous TV shows, but in spite of this, Batistuta always remained a low-profile family man.[15] In 1997, Batistuta's second son, Lucas, was born, and a third son, Joaquín, followed in 1999. He now has a fourth son Shamel. In 2000, Batistuta and his family moved to Rome, where he played forRoma. Two years after Shamel was born, Batistuta was loaned to Inter. In 2003, after 12 years in Italy, the family moved toQatar where Batistuta had accepted a lucrative celebrity playing contract with a local team,Al-Arabi, ending his career there in 2005.[17] He moved back to Argentina in 2007.[18]
Despite having completed his coaching badges in Argentina, he currently has no involvement with football, instead (primarily as he has difficulty walking) he prefers to play polo and golf, he was quoted saying: 'I don't like football, it's only my job'.[19][20] In later interviews withFIFA he expanded: "I lived and breathed football", adding, "when I was playing football I never enjoyed it that much, I was never happy ... if I scored two goals, I wanted a third, I always wanted more. Now it's all over I can look back with satisfaction, but I never felt that way when I was playing."[21][22] In 2006 he expressed an interest in coachingAustralia's andArgentina's national team.[23] During the2006 FIFA World Cup, he worked as a commentator forTelevisa Deportes. Batistuta currently runs his own construction company in Argentina. He also worked as technical secretary in the professional football clubColón, joining the club's staff in January 2012, and leaving at the end of the 2012–13 season.[24]
Speaking in a television interview in Argentina in 2014, Batistuta said the pain suffered in hisankles after retiring in 2005 became so intense that he "urinated in bed with the toilet only a few steps away. I couldn't move." He visited a doctor he knew asking his legs be amputated, but the doctor turned down his request.[25] Although he later underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his cartilage and tendons and his condition improved slightly, in a 2017 interview, he stated that he still had difficulty walking and faced mobility issues as a result of the stresses and injuries he faced throughout his football career due to overexerting himself.[26] He has, however, still been able to take part in charity football games, and in 2014, he scored twice – one a trademark finish with a powerful 35 yard strike into the roof of the net – in a game in Italy.[27][28]
As a child, Batistuta preferred other sports to football. Because of his height he played basketball, but after Argentina's victory in the1978 FIFA World Cup, in which he was particularly impressed by the skills ofMario Kempes, he devoted himself to football.[30] After playing with friends on the streets and in the smallGrupo Alegria club, Batistuta joined the local Platense junior team. While with Platense he was selected for the Reconquista team that won the provincial championship following victory overNewell's Old Boys. Batistuta's two goals drew the attention of the opposition team's coachMarcelo Bielsa, and he signed a professional contract with Newell's in 1988.[31]
AtNewell's Old Boys under Bielsa, who would later become Batistuta's national coach with the Argentina national team, things did not come easily for him during his first year with the club. He was away from home, his family, and his girlfriend Irina, sleeping in a room at the stadium, and had a weight problem that slowed his progress.[31] At the end of that year, Batistuta was loaned to a smaller team,Deportivo Italiano, with whom he participated in the Carnevale Cup in Italy, ending as top scorer with three goals. Under the guidance of Bielsa, whom Batistuta described in his autobiography as the most important coach he has ever had, and "the one who taught me how to train on rainy days, he taught me everything", he was physically transformed, fed encouragement, and was set on the path into the player he was to become.[31][32]
In mid-1989, Batistuta made the leap to one of Argentina's biggest clubs,River Plate, where he scored 4 goals and River Plate won theArgentine Primera División in 1990. However, he was drawn out of the team by the new managerDaniel Passarella in the mid-season, apparently with no specific reason. According to Batistuta, they never had a dispute.[33] Passarella declared at that time "when Batistuta finds a team that be able to play to him he will be lethal" and highlighted his professionalism.[34]
In 1990, Batistuta joined River Plate'sarch rivals,Boca Juniors. He initially found it hard to find his best form, in part not playing in his position. However, at the beginning of 1991,Óscar Tabárez became Boca Juniors' new manager and he gave Batistuta the support and put him into his best place in the field, thecentre of attack, rather than as anoutside forward. Batistuta finished the season as the league's top scorer as Boca Juniors won the championship.[33][35]
While playing for Argentina in the1991 Copa América, the vice-president ofFiorentina was impressed by Batistuta's skills and signed him. He had a fine start inSerie A, scoring 13 goals in his debut season. However, the following season, in1992–93, Fiorentina lost in the relegation battle and were demoted toSerie B, despite Batistuta's 16 league goals. The club returned to Serie A afterone season in Serie B, with the contribution of 16 goals from Batistuta and the management ofClaudio Ranieri, as Fiorentina captured the1993–94 Serie B title.[36]
Batistuta holding his oldnumber 9 Fiorentina jersey at a 2014 ceremony inducting him into the club's hall of fame
At Fiorentina, Batistuta found his best form. He was thetop scorer of the1994–95 Serie A season with 26 goals, and he brokeEzio Pascutti's 32-year-oldrecord by scoring in all of the first 11 matches of the season.[37][38] In the1995–96 season, Batistuta, alongsideRui Costa andFrancesco Baiano, helped the club to go on a 15-match unbeaten run, as they eventually ended the season with a fourth-place league finish. Fiorentina also won theCoppa Italia andSupercoppa Italiana overAC Milan; in the two-legged Coppa Italia final againstAtalanta, Batistuta scored a goal in each fixture as Fiorentina won 3–0 on aggregate.[36][39] Thenext season was less successful, as Fiorentina finished in a disappointing ninth place in the league, although the team managed to reach the semi-finals of the1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, losing out to eventual championsBarcelona,[40] despite scoring a goal in a 1–1 away draw in the first leg.[41] Scoring over 20 league goals in each of the next three seasons – made all the more impressive given Serie A was the strongest league in the world and the hardest to score in with the best defences – as well as spectacular powerful strikes againstArsenal andManchester United in theUEFA Champions League, Batistuta came third forFIFA World Player of the Year in 1999.[42][43] Batistuta andRonaldo were the two best strikers in Serie A, with their duels the most anticipated in Italy.[44]
After his failure to win the Italian championship with Fiorentina, Batistuta started considering a transfer to a bigger team. In an effort to keep Batistuta, Fiorentina hiredGiovanni Trapattoni as coach and promised to do everything to win theScudetto. After an excellent start to the season, Batistuta suffered an injury that kept him out of action for more than a month. Losing momentum, Fiorentina lost the lead and finished the season in third place, although the result enabled them to participate in the Champions League the following season.[45][46]
In addition to the fans erecting a life-size bronze statue of him in Florence, Batistuta was inducted into the club's hall of fame in 2014. An emotional Batistuta told the audience at the ceremony: "From the moment I arrived at Fiorentina I wanted a place in the history of the club – and now I can say I have succeeded."[47]
"I played the whole match with these conflicting thoughts in my head - I am sorry for Fiorentina. It was important, though, because I want to win for Roma so I was trying hard but I can not forget my past. Certainly I cannot say that I am happy to have scored against my former team-mates, but Roma wanted the win."
—Batistuta on his conflicting emotions playing for Roma against Fiorentina in November 2000.[48]
Batistuta stayed at Fiorentina for the1999–2000 season, tempted by the chance of winning both the Scudetto and the Champions League. After a promising start in both competitions, the team only reached seventh in the league and were eliminated in the second round group phase of the European tournament. The following season, he was transferred toRoma in a deal worth 70 billionlire (€36.2 million)[49] and signed a three-year contract, which earned 14.8 billion Italian lire (€7.6 million) per year before tax.[50] The fee paid for Batistuta became the highest fee ever paid for a player over the age of 30.[51] The record was broken in 2017 whenLeonardo Bonucci was signed byAC Milan on a five-year contract for a €42 million fee.[52][53]
During the2000–01 season, Batistuta finally garnered a Serie A winners' medal, scoring 20 league goals, as Roma clinched the Scudetto for the first time since1983,[54] including a goal in the 3–1 title-deciding victory overParma on 17 June 2001 at theStadio Olimpico in Rome.[55] On 26 November 2000 Batistuta scored an 83rd-minute winner with a right-foot volley from 30 yards in a league game against Fiorentina in Rome – visibly upset having done so herefused to celebrate with his Roma teammates.[48] Before the match he ran over to the 3,000 Fiorentina fans and saluted them, and did the same at full time, receiving adoration in return, before he left the stadium in tears.[48] Sean Ingle, match reporter forThe Guardian, wrote, "Batistuta breaks Florentine hearts, and his own."[56] The following season with Roma, he changed his shirt number from 18 to 20 in reference to the number of goals he had scored during the Scudetto winning campaign.[57] He also wore his age on the back of his Roma shirt in 2002, number 33.[57]
Now aged 34, Batistuta failed to find form with Roma and was loaned out toInter Milan, scoring two goals in twelve matches, although he did provide assists forChristian Vieri.[58] Batistuta sought a move to England to play withFulham, but the deal never transpired.[59][60]
He departed Italy for Qatar in 2003, joiningAl-Arabi on a free transfer in a deal worth $8 million. Batistuta ended the season by netting 25 goals, thus surpassing the record for most goals scored, which was previously held by Qatari legendMansour Muftah.[17] Batistuta announced his retirement in 2005.[61]
In 1991, Batistuta was selected to play forArgentina in theCopa América held inChile, where he finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals as Argentina romped to victory.[62] The following year, he won theFIFA Confederations Cup with Argentina, finishing as the tournament's top-scorer. In 1993, Batistuta played in his secondCopa América, this time held inEcuador, which Argentina won with Batistuta scoring both goals in a 2–1 win overMexico in the final.[63]
The1994 World Cup, held in theUnited States, was a disappointment. After a promising start Argentina were beaten byRomania in the last 16. The morale of the team was seriously affected byDiego Maradona's doping suspension. Despite the disappointing Argentine exit, Batistuta scored four goals in as many games, including ahat-trick in their opening game againstGreece.[64]
During the qualification matches for the1998 World Cup (with former River Plate managerDaniel Passarella) Batistuta was left out of the majority of the games after falling out with the coach over team rules. The two eventually put the dispute aside and Batistuta was recalled for the tournament. In the game againstJamaica, he recorded the second hat-trick of his World Cup career, becoming the fourth player to achieve this (the others wereSándor Kocsis,Just Fontaine, andGerd Müller) and the first to score a hat-trick in twoWorld Cups. Argentina were knocked out of the World Cup by theNetherlands courtesy of a last-minuteDennis Bergkamp winner after the two sides had been locked at 1–1 for more than 70 minutes.
After a good series of performances by Argentina in the qualification matches for the2002 World Cup, hopes were high that the South Americans – now managed byMarcelo Bielsa – could win the trophy, and Batistuta announced that he planned to quit the national team at the end of the tournament, which Argentina aimed to win. But Argentina's "group of death" saw the team fall at the first hurdle, only managing a victory againstNigeria (Batistuta scored the match's only goal).[32] They later fell toEngland 1–0 and managed a mere 1–1 tie againstSweden. This meant that the team was knocked out in the opening round for the first time since 1962. With 54 goals from 77 games, Batistuta was the record goalscorer for Argentina, a record he held until it was surpassed byLionel Messi in 2016.[65] Batistuta admitted he was a little annoyed at losing the record, stating, "You go around the world and people say, 'he's the top scorer for the Argentina national team', before he then added, "But the advantage I have is that I'm second to an extraterrestrial."[65]
"Batistuta, dubbed "Batigol" by his fans, is the most successful striker of his generation, having achieved mythic status at Italian club Fiorentina in the 1990s before moving to AS Roma. With his shoulder-length blond hair and soulful eyes, he looks a likely lead in Jesus Christ Superstar, but he has the instincts of a cold-blooded killer."
A quick, hard-working, and powerful player, with an eye for goal and a good all-round game, Batistuta is considered one of the most complete, feared and prolific strikers of his generation.[7][66][67] As astriker, he was primarily known for his technique, offensive movement off the ball, strength in the air, and powerful, clinical finishing ability with both feet from anywhere on the pitch, despite being naturally right-footed.
Batistuta struck shots with such controlled violence you'd think he had a vendetta against balls. And nets.
— Talksport on the World Cup's most iconic players, Batistuta, May 2018.[68]
Batistuta also possessed an excellent positional sense, as well as an ability to anticipate defenders in the area, score acrobatic goals fromvolleys orbicycle kicks, and strike the ball first time from tight angles while on the run. He was also highly regarded due to his accurate heading and powerfulfree-kick taking abilities; although he was a competentpenalty taker, his conversion rate from the spot throughout his career was less reliable. In addition to his skill and goalscoring abilities, Batistuta frequently stood out on the pitch throughout his career due to his leadership and fair-play.[69][70][71]Diego Maradona stated that Batistuta is the best striker he has ever seen play the game.[72][73] Batistuta'sgoal celebration – both arms upturned with his fists clenched – features in his statue placed next to those of Maradona and Messi in an emblematic square in theRecoleta district of Buenos Aires.[74] Batistuta also often celebrated a goal by pretending he was firing a machine gun.[75] Batistuta suffered several injuries throughout his career, which often limited his playing time and fitness, in particular in his later career, which would eventually force him to retire.[76][77][78]
^54 goals in 77 appearances at one time because theArgentine Football Association didn't recognize 2 goals, even thoughFIFA did,[10] two goals Batistuta scored in a 6–0 home win against theSlovakia national youth side on 22 June 1995, inMendoza, a match which had originally been considered a full international by the Argentine FA but later was removed from the list of official matches. In the most recent update (last updated: 12 May 2022), this match appears to have been re-recognized as official.[11]
^Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015)."Italy – Serie A Top Scorers".RSSSF.Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved2 December 2015.
^"La Selección de Todos los Tiempos" [The Team of All Time] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 4 January 2016. Archived fromthe original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved29 January 2018.
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