Gabriel Batistuta Explained

Gabriel Batistuta
Full Name:Gabriel Omar Batistuta[1]
Birth Date:1 February 1969
Birth Place:Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Height:1.85 m[2]
Position:Striker
Youthyears1:1987–1989
Youthclubs1:Newell's Old Boys
Youthyears2:1982
Youthclubs2:Sportivo Italiano (loan)
Years1:1988–1989
Clubs1:Newell's Old Boys
Caps1:24
Goals1:7
Years2:1989–1990
Clubs2:River Plate
Caps2:21
Goals2:4
Years3:1990–1991
Clubs3:Boca Juniors
Caps3:34
Goals3:13
Years4:1991–2000
Clubs4:Fiorentina
Caps4:269
Goals4:168
Years5:2000–2003
Clubs5:Roma
Caps5:63
Goals5:30
Years6:2003
Clubs6:Inter Milan (loan)
Caps6:12
Goals6:2
Years7:2003–2004
Clubs7:Al-Arabi
Caps7:21
Goals7:25
Totalcaps:444
Totalgoals:248
Nationalyears1:1991–2002
Nationalteam1:Argentina
Nationalcaps1:78
Nationalgoals1:56

Gabriel Omar Batistuta (pronounced as /es/; born 1 February 1969) is an Argentine former professional footballer. During his playing career, Batistuta was nicknamed Batigol (pronounced as /es/)[3] as well as El Ángel Gabriel (pronounced as /es/; Spanish for Angel Gabriel). Regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.[4]

After beginning his career in Argentina in 1988 with Newell's Old Boys, followed by River Plate and Boca Juniors where he won titles, Batistuta played most of his club football with Serie A club Fiorentina in Italy; he is their all-time top scorer in Serie A with 151 goals.[5] When Fiorentina was relegated to Serie B in 1993, 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. Despite winning the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana with the club in 1996, he never won the Serie A title with Fiorentina, but when he moved to Roma in 2000 for €36 million – the highest fee ever paid for a player over the age of 30 until Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018 – he won the 2000–01 Serie A title.[6] After a brief loan spell with Inter Milan in 2003, he played his last two seasons in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.[7]

At international level, Batistuta was Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer with 56 goals in 78 official matches, a record he held until 21 June 2016, when he was surpassed by Lionel Messi.[8] He participated in three FIFA World Cups, scoring 10 goals, making him Argentina's second top scorer in the competition after Messi, and the joint tenth-highest World Cup goalscorer of all time.[9] Batistuta is the only player in football history to score two hat-tricks in different World Cups. With the Argentina national team he won two consecutive Copa América titles (1991 and 1993), the 1993 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, and the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Personal life

Batistuta was born on 1 February 1969 to slaughterhouse worker Omar Batistuta and school secretary Gloria Zilli, in the town of Avellaneda,, but grew up in the nearby city of Reconquista. He has three older sisters, Elisa, Alejandra, and Gabriela.[10] Batistuta is a Roman Catholic. At the age of 16, he met Irina Fernández, his future wife, at her quinceañera, a rite of passage on her 15th birthday. On 28 December 1990, they were married at Saint Roque Church.[11] The couple moved to Florence, Italy, in 1991, and a year later their first son, Thiago, was born.[12] 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.[11] 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 for Roma. Two years after Shamel was born, Batistuta was loaned to Inter. In 2003, after 12 years in Italy, the family moved to Qatar where Batistuta had accepted a lucrative celebrity playing contract with a local team, Al-Arabi, ending his career there in 2005. He moved back to Argentina in 2007.[13]

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'.[14] [15] In later interviews with FIFA 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."[16] [17] In 2006 he expressed an interest in coaching Australia's national team and Argentina's team.[18] During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he worked as a commentator for Televisa Deportes. Batistuta currently runs his own construction company in Argentina. He also worked as technical secretary in the professional football club Colón, joining the club's staff in January 2012, and leaving at the end of the 2012–13 season.[19]

Speaking in a television interview in Argentina in 2014, Batistuta said the pain suffered in his ankles 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] [23]

Batistuta lived in Perth, Western Australia but due to personal reasons, he moved back to Argentina.[24]

Club career

Early career

As a child, Batistuta preferred other sports to football. Because of his height he played basketball, but after Argentina's victory in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, in which he was particularly impressed by the skills of Mario Kempes, he devoted himself to football.[25] After playing with friends on the streets and in the small Grupo 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 over Newell's Old Boys. Batistuta's two goals drew the attention of the opposition team's coach Marcelo Bielsa, and he signed a professional contract with Newell's in 1988.[26]

Newell's Old Boys

At Newell'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.[26] 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.[26]

River Plate

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 the Argentine Primera División in 1990. However, he was drawn out of the team by the new manager Daniel Passarella in the mid-season, apparently with no specific reason. According to Batistuta, they never had a dispute.[27] 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.[28]

Boca Juniors

In 1990, Batistuta joined River Plate's arch 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, the centre of attack, rather than as an outside forward. Batistuta finished the season as the league's top scorer as Boca Juniors won the championship.[27] [29]

Fiorentina

While playing for Argentina in the 1991 Copa América, the vice-president of Fiorentina was impressed by Batistuta's skills and signed him. He had a fine start in Serie A, scoring 13 goals in his debut season. However, the following season, in 1992–93, Fiorentina lost in the relegation battle and were demoted to Serie B, despite Batistuta's 16 league goals. The club returned to Serie A after one season in Serie B, with the contribution of 16 goals from Batistuta and the management of Claudio Ranieri, as Fiorentina captured the 1993–94 Serie B title.[30] At Fiorentina, Batistuta found his best form. He was the top scorer of the 1994–95 Serie A season with 26 goals, and he broke Ezio Pascutti's 32-year-old record by scoring in all of the first 11 matches of the season.[31] [32] In the 1995–96 season, Batistuta, alongside Rui Costa and Francesco 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 the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana over AC Milan; in the two-legged Coppa Italia final against Atalanta, Batistuta scored a goal in each fixture as Fiorentina won 3–0 on aggregate.[30] [33] The next 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 the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, losing out to eventual champions Barcelona,[34] despite scoring a goal in a 1–1 away draw in the first leg.[35] 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 against Arsenal and Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, Batistuta came third for FIFA World Player of the Year in 1999.[36] [37] Batistuta and Ronaldo were the two best strikers in Serie A, with their duels the most anticipated in Italy.[38]

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 hired Giovanni Trapattoni as coach and promised to do everything to win the Scudetto. 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.[39] [40]

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."[41]

Roma

Batistuta stayed at Fiorentina for the 1999–2000 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 to Roma in a deal worth 70 billion lire (€36.2 million)[42] and signed a three-year contract, which earned 14.8 billion Italian lire (€7.6 million) per year before tax.[43] The fee paid for Batistuta became the highest fee ever paid for a player over the age of 30.[44] The record was broken in 2017 when Leonardo Bonucci was signed by AC Milan on a five-year contract for a €42 million fee.[45] [46]

During the 2000–01 season, Batistuta finally garnered a Serie A winners' medal, scoring 20 league goals, as Roma clinched the Scudetto for the first time since 1983,[47] including a goal in the 3–1 title-deciding victory over Parma on 17 June 2001 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[48] 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 he refused to celebrate with his Roma teammates.[49] 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.[49] Sean Ingle, match reporter for The Guardian, wrote, "Batistuta breaks Florentine hearts, and his own."[50] 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. He also wore his age on the back of his Roma shirt in 2002, number 33.[51]

Loan to Inter Milan

Now aged 34, Batistuta failed to find form with Roma and was loaned out to Inter Milan, scoring two goals in twelve matches, although he did provide assists for Christian Vieri.[52] Batistuta sought a move to England to play with Fulham, but the deal never transpired.[53] [54]

Al-Arabi

He departed Italy for Qatar in 2003, joining Al-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 legend Mansour Muftah.[55] Batistuta announced his retirement in 2005.[56]

International career

In 1991, Batistuta was selected to play for Argentina in the Copa América held in Chile, where he finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals as Argentina romped to victory.[57] The following year, he won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Argentina, finishing as the tournament's top-scorer. In 1993, Batistuta played in his second Copa América, this time held in Ecuador, which Argentina won with Batistuta scoring both goals in a 2–1 win over Mexico in the final.[58]

The 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, was a disappointment. After a promising start Argentina were beaten by Romania in the last 16. The morale of the team was seriously affected by Diego Maradona's doping suspension. Despite the disappointing Argentine exit, Batistuta scored four goals in as many games, including a hat-trick in their opening game against Greece.[59]

During the qualification matches for the 1998 World Cup (with former River Plate manager Daniel 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 against Jamaica, he recorded the second hat-trick of his World Cup career, becoming the fourth player to achieve this (the others were Sándor Kocsis, Just Fontaine, and Gerd Müller) and the first to score a hat-trick in two World Cups. Argentina were knocked out of the World Cup by the Netherlands courtesy of a last-minute Dennis 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 the 2002 World Cup, hopes were high that the South Americans – now managed by Marcelo 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 against Nigeria (Batistuta scored the match's only goal).[60] They later fell to England 1–0 and managed a mere 1–1 tie against Sweden. 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 by Lionel Messi in 2016. 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."[61]

Style of play

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.[62] [63] As a striker, 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.[9] [64] [65]

Batistuta also possessed an excellent positional sense, as well as an ability to anticipate defenders in the area, score acrobatic goals from volleys or bicycle 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 powerful free-kick taking abilities; although he was a competent penalty 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.[66] [67] [68] Diego Maradona stated that Batistuta is the best striker he has ever seen play the game.[69] [70] Batistuta's goal 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 the Recoleta district of Buenos Aires.[71] Batistuta also often celebrated a goal by pretending he was firing a machine gun.[72] 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.[73] [74] [75]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newell's1988–89Primera División24741288
River Plate1989–90Primera División21420234
Boca Juniors1990–91Primera División34131264619
Fiorentina1991–92Serie A2713313014
1992–93Serie A3216333519
1993–94Serie B2616332919
1994–95Serie A3226523728
1995–96Serie A3119883927
1996–97Serie A32131074124118
1997–98Serie A3121533624
1998–99Serie A282194414126
1999–2000Serie A3023201164329
Total2691673924221012331203
Roma2000–01Serie A282000413221
2001–02Serie A2360011010356
2002–03Serie A1242161206
Total633021212108733
Inter Milan (loan)2002–03Serie A122122
Al-Arabi2003–04Qatar Stars League1825212026
2004–05Qatar Stars League301141
Total2125322427
Career total4442484427612022551297

International

See main article: List of international goals scored by Gabriel Batistuta.

Appearances and goals by national team and year[76]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Argentina199176
199256
1993156
1994106
1995119
199653
199720
19981212
199922
200054
200111
200231
Total7856

Honours

Newell's Old Boys

River Plate

Boca Juniors

Fiorentina

Roma

Argentina

Individual

1998 (6th place), 1999 (4th place), 2000 (7th place)

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gabriel Batistuta. socceerway.com. 9 June 2022 .
  2. Web site: Gabriel Batistuta. AS Roma. 9 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20020208135105/http://www.asromacalcio.it/sito-ufficiale/squadra/rosa99-00/batistuta.html. 8 February 2002 .
  3. Web site: When Batigol could not stop scoring. Giancarlo Rinaldi. 29 August 2014. Football Italia. 18 June 2017.
  4. News: Pele's list of the greatest. 4 March 2004. BBC Sport. 15 June 2013.
  5. Web site: Gabriel Batistuta – Fiorentina Icon, Calcio Legend : " rarely has a player come to symbolise their club in the same way that Batistuta defined Fiorentina during nine seasons from 1991 to 2000" . goaldentimes.org . 11 February 2015.
  6. Web site: Roma-scudetto, racconta il tuo 17 giugno 2001 . Corriere dello Sport . 17 June 2012 . 15 June 2013 . it . https://web.archive.org/web/20140512221420/http://www.corrieredellosport.it/Calcio/2012/06/17-246461/Roma-scudetto,+racconta+il+tuo+17+giugno+2001 . 12 May 2014 . dead.
  7. Web site: Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta retires from soccer . USA Today . 14 March 2005 . 15 June 2013.
  8. Web site: Lionel Messi becomes Argentina's all-time top goalscorer overtaking record set by Gabriel Batistuta - Mirror Online. Daily Mirror. 22 June 2016.
  9. Web site: Batistuta bids farewell . https://web.archive.org/web/20160628175829/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/news/y=2005/m=3/news=batistuta-bids-farewell-96669.html . dead . 28 June 2016 . FIFA.com . 14 March 2005 . 2 July 2016.
  10. Gabriel Batistuta, Bocci; Polverosi; Rialti, Io Batigol racconto Batistuta, Roma, San Marco Sport Events, p. 17. 1997.
  11. Luca Calamai, Il calcio di Batistuta ai raggi X, La Gazzetta dello Sport. p. 16. 2011.
  12. News: Thiago Batistuta sul piccolo schermo . TG Com 24. 15 August 2018.
  13. Web site: 10 facts about Roma's Scudetto-winning striker . 22 October 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160207072808/https://www.asroma.com/en/news/2016/2/10-facts-about-roma-s-scudetto-winning-striker . 7 February 2016. 10 facts about Roma's Scudetto-winning striker
  14. Web site: "El fútbol no me gusta, sólo es mi trabajo" - Esfutbol.es . 3 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714140240/http://viejasglorias.esfutbol.es/docs/El-futbol-no-me-gusta-solo-es-mi-trabajo-400.html . 14 July 2014.
  15. Web site: Footballers who don't like football . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140715031230/https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/footballers-don-t-football-193946.html . 15 July 2014.
  16. News: Batistuta's quiet goodbye . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228040305/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/news/y=2005/m=7/news=batistuta-quiet-goodbye-99144.html . dead . 28 February 2018 . 16 August 2018 . FIFA.
  17. News: I lived and breathed football . https://web.archive.org/web/20170711124019/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/news/y=2017/m=7/news=batistuta-i-lived-and-breathed-football-2900564.html . dead . 11 July 2017 . 16 August 2018 . FIFA.
  18. Web site: Herald Sun . Herald Sun.
  19. Web site: Soccer-Batistuta takes technical job at Argentina's Colon. 20 December 2011. 11 February 2022. Reuters.com.
  20. News: Batistuta asked legs be cut off to relieve pain . 1 September 2014 . The Associated Press . Yahoo News Network.
  21. Web site: Gabriel Batistuta: Argentina and Fiorentina legend has 'difficulty walking' . BBC Sport . 10 July 2017 . 10 July 2017.
  22. News: Video: Gabriel Batistuta scored a very Gabriel Batistuta goal in a charity match last night . 18 August 2018 . Joe.ie..
  23. News: Gabriel Batistuta rolled back the years with a stunning goal last night . 18 August 2018 . Entertainment.ie.
  24. Web site: Fornaroli aims to impress Argentine legend Batistuta | the World Game . 29 June 2021 . 29 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210629004020/https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/fornaroli-aims-to-impress-argentine-legend-batistuta . dead .
  25. News: Hurrey . Adam . Gabriel Batistuta – the long-haired assassin who arranged marriages of ball to net . 18 August 2018 . Unibet.
  26. News: Bielsa has it taped . 17 August 2018 . The Guardian.
  27. ""Hablemos de Futbol", ESPN +, 2005-06-25. Hosts Victor Hugo Morales and Roberto Perfumo, guests Gabriel Batistuta and Diego Maradona.
  28. "El Gráfico" Special Edition n. 61, 1990, May, page 52.
  29. News: Maradona compie 60 anni: buon compleanno Diego VIDEO . corrieredellosport.it . it . 30 October 2020 . 30 November 2020 .
  30. Web site: Leicester City top of the Premier League – but can Claudio Ranieri finally win a major title? . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/leicester-city/12149043/Leicester-City-top-of-the-Premier-League-but-can-Claudio-Ranieri-finally-win-a-title.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live . The Telegraph . Jonathan Liew . 9 February 2016 . 27 April 2016.
  31. News: 8 of the greatest ever scoring streaks – starring Batistuta, Ronaldo, Messi and Muller . 17 August 2018 . Four Four Two.
  32. Web site: Longest goalscoring runs in Europe's top leagues . UEFA.com . 28 November 2015 . 27 January 2019.
  33. Web site: Coppa Italia 1995/96 . . 17 June 2013.
  34. Web site: Barcelona in need of repeat show . UEFA.org . 21 April 2010 . 16 July 2016.
  35. News: Football: Batistuta to the rescue . The Independent . 10 April 1997 . 16 July 2016.
  36. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232047/http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/archive/edition=1999901999/ "Rivaldo on top of the world"
  37. News: Serie A in the '90s: when Baggio, Batistuta and Italian football ruled the world . 15 August 2018 . Four Four Two.
  38. News: European Football: Ronaldo's duel with Batistuta . 15 August 2018 . The Independent.
  39. News: Animal magic inspires Napoli . BBC News . 7 January 2001 . 24 October 2015.
  40. https://baji-live.net/blog/gabriel-batistuta/ Gabriel Batistuta – J9's Ambassador
  41. News: Gabriel Batistuta in tears after being inducted into Fiorentina hall of fame . 15 August 2018 . The Guardian.
  42. Web site: BILANCIO D'ESERCIZIO E CONSOLIDATO DI GRUPPO AL 30 GIUGNO 2000 . 28 June 2001 . it . 24 March 2015 . AS Roma . Borsa Italiana Archive . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221001137/http://www.borsaitaliana.it/bitApp/view.bit?lang=it&target=DocViewerDownload&filename=db%2Fpdf%2F1094.pdf . 21 December 2016 . dead .
  43. News: https://web.archive.org/web/20020214173355/http://www.asromacalcio.it/sito-ufficiale/news/articolo31.html . Gabriel Batistuta è della Roma . 2 June 2000 . 1 April 2010 . 14 February 2002 . AS Roma . it.
  44. News: What is the most that clubs have paid for a player in their 30s? . Ian . McCourt . 3 June 2014 . The Guardian.
  45. Web site: Official: Milan sign Bonucci . Football Italia . 14 July 2017.
  46. Grazie, Leo . 14 July 2017. 15 July 2017 . Juventus FC.
  47. Web site: Roman Soldier: 2001 Roma Scudetto Winners – Where Are They Now? . Goal.com . 23 September 2009 . 15 June 2013.
  48. News: Roma, show all'Olimpico per la festa scudetto. la Repubblica. it. 17 June 2011. 29 July 2016.
  49. News: Winner reduces Batistuta to tears . 15 August 2018 . BBC.
  50. News: Batistuta breaks Florentine hearts, and his own . 15 August 2018 . The Guardian.
  51. News: 10 facts about Roma's Scudetto-winning striker . 17 August 2018 . AS Roma.
  52. News: Batistuta bids farewell. FIFA. https://web.archive.org/web/20160628175829/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/news/y=2005/m=3/news=batistuta-bids-farewell-96669.html. dead. 28 June 2016. 18 August 2018.
  53. News: 7 June 2002. Fulham rejected Batistuta. BBC News.
  54. News: 18 December 2002. Fulham head Batistuta chase. BBC News.
  55. News: Batistuta keen to avoid Qatar v England in 2022 Cup bid . 13 August 2018 . BBC.
  56. News: Gabriel Batistuta: Argentina and Fiorentina legend has 'difficulty walking' . 15 August 2018 . BBC.
  57. Web site: Equipos históricos: Argentina 1991, la era post Maradona y un comienzo auspicioso . Muy Futbol . 31 August 2012 . 15 June 2013 . es . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130618105830/http://muyfutbol.com/36561/equipos-historicos-argentina-1991-la-era-post-maradona-y-un-comienzo-auspicioso/ . 18 June 2013.
  58. https://web.archive.org/web/20090321081724/http://rsssf.com/tables/93safull.html "1993 Copa America"
  59. Web site: Batistuta, Maradona Star in Argentina's 4–0 Win Over Greece . Seattle Times . 21 June 1994 . 15 June 2013 . 14 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714122600/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940621&slug=1916661 . dead .
  60. News: Batistuta: "Today I met Bielsa for the first time since the 2002 World Cup" . Fox Sports. 16 August 2018.
  61. News: Gabriel Batistuta - Lionel Messi taking my Argentina record annoyed me . 15 August 2018 . ESPN.
  62. Web site: Gabriel Batistuta . Encyclopædia Britannica . Natalia Cardenas . 23 June 2016 . 19 January 2017.
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  64. Web site: Bati-Toni le diverse vie del gol. Bati-Toni the different routes to a goal . La Repubblica . Alessandro Di Marialanguage=Italian . 21 September 2005 . 5 July 2015.
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