There were very few centre forwards in world football who could come close to Gabriel Batistuta during the 1990s and so as it’s February 1st – the birthday of Batigol – we take a look at some of his best goals.
A fearsome number nine, Batistuta scored goals everywhere he went and until Lionel Messi recently surpassed him, was Argentina’s leading scorer.
Having represented Newell’s Old Boys, River Plate and Boca Juniors it was while playing for Argentina at the 1991 Copa América that Batigol earned the most important transfer of his career. Fiorentina signed the 22-year-old and through relegation and promotion back to Serie A, over the next nine years, Batistuta would go onto score 169 goals for the Viola and become the club’s leading scorer of all time.
A transfer to Roma followed in 2000 and Batistuta fired the Giallorossi to their first title since 1983 and the centre-forward’s only Serie A winner’s medal.
Two Copa América titles with Argentina in 1991 and 1993, the last time La Albiceleste won major honours, and although a World Cup escaped him, Batistuta’s ten tournament goals puts him eighth in the list of highest scorers and he is the only player in history to score hat-tricks at two different competitions.
golazo argentino 