Gabriel Batistuta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gabriel Batistuta

Batistuta in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Gabriel Omar Batistuta
Date of birth	(1969-02-01) 1 February 1969 (age 56)
Place of birth	Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1987–1989	Newell's Old Boys
1982	→ Sportivo Italiano (loan)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1988–1989	Newell's Old Boys	24	(7)
1989–1990	River Plate	21	(4)
1990–1991	Boca Juniors	34	(13)
1991–2000	Fiorentina	269	(168)
2000–2003	Roma	63	(30)
2003	→ Inter Milan (loan)	12	(2)
2003–2005	Al-Arabi	21	(25)
Total		444	(248)
International career
1991–2002	Argentina	78	(56)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Argentina Copa América Winner 1991 Chile Winner 1993 Ecuador CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Winner 1993 Argentina FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 1992 Saudi Arabia Runner-up 1995 Saudi Arabia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born 1 February 1969) is a famous former footballer from Argentina. People often called him Batigol or El Ángel Gabriel (which means Angel Gabriel in Spanish). Many think he is one of the best strikers of all time. In 2004, the legendary player Pelé even included him in his list of the world's greatest living players, called FIFA 100.

Batistuta started his career in Argentina in 1988 with Newell's Old Boys. He then played for River Plate and Boca Juniors, where he won some titles. Most of his club career was spent with Serie A club Fiorentina in Italy. He is their top scorer in Serie A with 151 goals. When Fiorentina was moved down to Serie B in 1993, Batistuta stayed with them. He helped them get back to the top league a year later. He became a true hero in Florence. Fiorentina fans even put up a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996 to show how much they appreciated him.

Even though he won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana with Fiorentina in 1996, he never won the Serie A title with them. But when he moved to Roma in 2000, he finally won the Serie A title in the 2000–01 season. After a short time on loan with Inter Milan in 2003, he played his last two seasons in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.

For his country, Batistuta was Argentina's top goalscorer for a long time. He scored 56 goals in 78 official matches. This record stood until 2016, when Lionel Messi scored more goals. Batistuta played in three FIFA World Cups and scored 10 goals. This makes him Argentina's second-highest scorer in the World Cup, after Messi. He is also one of the top ten World Cup goalscorers ever. Batistuta is the only player in football history to score two hat-tricks (three goals in one game) in different World Cups. With the Argentina national team, he won two Copa América titles in a row (1991 and 1993). He also won the 1993 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions and the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Batistuta's Life

Gabriel Batistuta was born on 1 February 1969 in Avellaneda, Argentina. He grew up in a nearby city called Reconquista. He has three older sisters. When he was 16, he met Irina Fernández, who would become his wife. They got married in 1990.

The couple moved to Florence, Italy, in 1991. Their first son, Thiago, was born a year later. Batistuta became very famous because of his great playing in Italy and for Argentina. He appeared in commercials and on TV shows. But he always stayed a private family man. His second son, Lucas, was born in 1997, and Joaquín in 1999. He also has a fourth son, Shamel.

In 2000, Batistuta and his family moved to Rome when he joined Roma. In 2003, after 12 years in Italy, the family moved to Qatar. Batistuta played for Al-Arabi there. He retired from football in 2005 and moved back to Argentina in 2007.

Even though he has coaching qualifications, he doesn't work in football much now. He enjoys playing polo and golf. He once said, "I don't like football, it's only my job." He later explained that he was never truly happy while playing because he always wanted to achieve more. He worked as a football commentator for a while. Batistuta also runs his own construction company in Argentina.

After he retired, Batistuta had a lot of pain in his ankles. He even thought about having his legs removed because the pain was so bad. He had surgery to help with the pain, and his condition improved a little. He can still play in charity football games sometimes.

Football Journey

Starting Out in Argentina

When he was a child, Batistuta liked other sports more than football. He played basketball because he was tall. But after Argentina won the 1978 FIFA World Cup, he was inspired by Mario Kempes and started focusing on football. He played with friends and for a small local club. Then, he joined the Platense junior team. His two goals in a championship game caught the eye of Marcelo Bielsa, a coach from Newell's Old Boys. Batistuta signed a professional contract with Newell's in 1988.

At Newell's Old Boys, it was tough for him at first. He was away from home and had some weight issues. But under coach Bielsa, Batistuta became much stronger and improved a lot. He said Bielsa taught him "everything."

In 1989, Batistuta moved to one of Argentina's biggest clubs, River Plate. He scored 4 goals, and River Plate won the league title in 1990. However, the new manager, Daniel Passarella, later took him out of the team.

In 1990, Batistuta joined River Plate's big rivals, Boca Juniors. He struggled at first because he wasn't playing in his best position. But when Óscar Tabárez became the new manager in 1991, he put Batistuta in the centre of attack. Batistuta ended that season as the league's top scorer, and Boca Juniors won the championship.

Fiorentina Years

While playing for Argentina in the 1991 Copa América, a vice-president from Fiorentina in Italy was very impressed by Batistuta. He signed him, and Batistuta had a great start in Serie A, scoring 13 goals in his first season.

However, in the 1992–93 season, Fiorentina was moved down to Serie B, even though Batistuta scored 16 goals. But the club returned to Serie A after just one season in Serie B. Batistuta scored 16 goals again, and the team won the 1993–94 Serie B title.

Batistuta holding his old number 9 Fiorentina jersey at a 2014 ceremony inducting him into the club's hall of fame

At Fiorentina, Batistuta played his best football. He was the top scorer in the 1994–95 Serie A season with 26 goals. He even set a record by scoring in the first 11 matches of the season! In the 1995–96 season, Batistuta helped Fiorentina go on a 15-match unbeaten run. They finished fourth in the league. Fiorentina also won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana against AC Milan. Batistuta scored in both games of the Coppa Italia final.

The next season was not as good, but Fiorentina reached the semi-finals of a European competition. Batistuta continued to score over 20 league goals in the next three seasons. He scored amazing goals in the UEFA Champions League against big teams like Arsenal and Manchester United. In 1999, he came third for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Many considered Batistuta and Ronaldo to be the two best strikers in Italy at that time.

Batistuta really wanted to win the Italian championship (Scudetto) with Fiorentina. The club tried to keep him by hiring a new coach and promising to win the title. After a strong start, Batistuta got injured, and Fiorentina lost their lead, finishing third.

In 2014, Batistuta was honored and added to Fiorentina's Hall of Fame. He told the crowd, "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."

Moving to Roma

Batistuta stayed at Fiorentina for the 1999–2000 season, hoping to win the Scudetto and the Champions League. But the team finished seventh in the league and was knocked out of the European tournament. The next season, he moved to Roma. This was a very expensive transfer for a player over 30 at the time.

In the 2000–01 season, Batistuta finally won a Serie A title! He scored 20 league goals, helping Roma win the Scudetto for the first time since 1983. He even scored a goal in the 3–1 win against Parma that sealed the title. On 26 November 2000, Batistuta scored a winning goal against his old club, Fiorentina. He was so upset about scoring against his former team that he refused to celebrate and left the stadium in tears.

Loan to Inter Milan

When he was 34, Batistuta was loaned to Inter Milan. He scored two goals in twelve matches there. He wanted to move to England to play for Fulham, but it didn't happen.

Playing in Qatar

In 2003, he left Italy and joined Al-Arabi in Qatar. Batistuta scored 25 goals that season, breaking the record for most goals scored in the Qatari league. He announced his retirement from football in 2005.

Playing for Argentina

In 1991, Batistuta was chosen to play for Argentina in the 1991 Copa América in Chile. He was the top scorer with six goals, and Argentina won the tournament. The next year, he won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Argentina and was again the top scorer. In 1993, Batistuta played in his second Copa América in Ecuador. Argentina won again, with Batistuta scoring both goals in the 2–1 final win against Mexico.

The 1994 World Cup in the United States was a bit disappointing. Argentina started well but lost to Romania in the last 16. This was partly because Diego Maradona was suspended. Even so, Batistuta scored four goals in four games, including a hat-trick against Greece.

For the 1998 World Cup, Batistuta had some disagreements with the coach, Daniel Passarella, but they worked it out. In a game against Jamaica, he scored his second World Cup hat-trick. This made him the first player ever to score hat-tricks in two different World Cups. Argentina was knocked out by the Netherlands in a close game.

Before the 2002 World Cup, Batistuta said he would retire from the national team after the tournament. Argentina, coached by Marcelo Bielsa, had high hopes. But they were in a tough group and were knocked out early. Batistuta scored the only goal in their win against Nigeria. They then lost to England and drew with Sweden.

With 54 goals in 77 games, Batistuta was Argentina's record goalscorer for many years. This record was broken by Lionel Messi in 2016. Batistuta admitted he was a little sad to lose the record, but he joked that he was "second to an extraterrestrial" (meaning Messi).

How Batistuta Played

Batistuta was a fast, strong, and hard-working player who was great at scoring goals. He is seen as one of the most complete and feared strikers of his time. He was known for his skill, how he moved without the ball, his strength in the air, and his powerful, accurate shots with both feet.

He was also very good at knowing where to be on the field. He could score amazing goals from volleys or bicycle kicks. He was also good at free-kicks. Besides his skills, Batistuta was known for his leadership and fair play. Diego Maradona once said Batistuta was the best striker he had ever seen.

When Batistuta scored, he often celebrated by raising both arms with his fists clenched. He also sometimes pretended to fire a machine gun. A statue of him in Buenos Aires shows his famous celebration. Batistuta had several injuries during his career, especially later on, which eventually led him to retire.

Film and TV Appearances

Career Statistics

Club Goals

International Goals

Awards and Honors

Newell's Old Boys

• Copa Libertadores runner-up: 1988

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: 1989–90

Fiorentina

• Coppa Italia: 1995–96
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1996
• Serie B: 1993–94

Roma

• Serie A: 2000–01
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2001

Argentina

• Copa América: 1991, 1993
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1992
• CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 1993

Individual Awards

• Copa América Golden Boot: 1991, 1995
• FIFA Confederations Cup top scorer: 1992
• Serie A top scorer: 1994–95
• Coppa Italia top scorer: 1995–96
• FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 1998
• Argentine Player of the Year: 1998
• ESM Team of the Year: 1998–1999
• Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1999
• FIFA World Player of the Year bronze award: 1999
• Ballon d'Or: 1998 (6th place), 1999 (4th place), 2000 (7th place)
• FIFA 100
• Qatari League top scorer: 2003–04
• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2013
• ACF Fiorentina Hall of Fame: 2014
• AS Roma Hall of Fame: 2015
• AFA Team of All Time (published 2015)
• Fiorentina All-time XI
• Fiorentina All-time top scorer in Serie A
• GCC Golden Boot: 2003–04
• IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team: 2021

See also

In Spanish: Gabriel Batistuta para niños