Gabriel Batistuta

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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. 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. 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.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the Stadio Artemio Franchi on a crisp Italian evening as the crowd roared. Gabriel received the ball just outside the box, turning his back to the goal with characteristic strength. With a sudden burst of acceleration, he shook off two defenders. The keeper rushed out, but Batistuta didn't hesitate; he struck the ball with the laces of his boot. It was a rocket that soared over the despairing dive and crashed into the top corner, sending the violet-clad faithful into a frenzy.

Reader's Guide

Gabriel Batistuta joined Fiorentina in 1991 after playing for Argentina in the 1991 Copa América, where the vice-president of Fiorentina was impressed by his skills. 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. 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. Batistuta and Ronaldo were the two best strikers of the era.

Did You Know?

• Batistuta is the only player in football history to score two hat-tricks in different World Cups.
• He 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.
• 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.
• Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996 in recognition of his performances for the club.
• Batistuta broke Ezio Pascutti's 32-year-old record by scoring in all of the first 11 matches of the 1994–95 Serie A season.