Gabriel Batistuta Biography

Whereas Maradona helped turn Napoli from a mid-table team to one that would win the championship, Batistuta did not manage this feat as he never won the Italian league, yet still he is considered a hero around Florence and throughout Italy. Why? You'll soon find out from this Gabriel Batistuta biography. But let's see how Batistuta fared before becoming a super star.

Gabriel Batistuta Biography – Youth Days
Born to a slaughterhouse worker and a school secretary, young Batistuta received the passion for soccer from his father, but he also got quality education from both his parents. His childhood education will reflect all throughout his career, where he defined himself as an honorable, loyal and fair player and a gentleman on the pitch.

Batistuta started out in the world of sports playing basketball, since he grew high quite fast and was pretty good at it. But when he was just 9 years old, Argentina won the 1978 World Cup and just like every other kid in the country, his dream was to become the next Kempes, Passarela or Luque.

He joined the local youth club Platense, where he stood out as a prolific striker and managed to win the provincial championship by beating Newell's Old Boys' youth team in the final, with Gabriel Omar Batistuta scoring twice. That match attracted the attention of Newell's scouts, who immediately signed him to their youth squad.

Gabriel Batistuta Biography – Argentine Career - His debut at Newell's professional squad in 1988 was a huge step for Gabriel Omar Batistuta and although he played most of the matches as either a first team player or a substitute, he didn't have it easy with the Rosario club. His family was away and his girlfriend was sleeping in a small room at the stadium and he also had some weight problems he had to work hard to overcome.

Fortunately, Argentinean bigwigs Riverplate saw great potential in the player and they took him on in 1989, where Batistuta would be coached by one of his childhood idols, Daniel Passarella. But his relationship with his coach would not be the best and after a few confrontations between the two, Batistuta was dropped from the squad and sold to Riverplate's arch-rivals Boca Juniors.

Finding his pace at Boca, the now 22 years old striker became a target for big European clubs and it was the Italian Fiorentina who made the first move, buying the young Argentinean in 1991.

Gabriel Batistuta Biography – Fiorentina
The next 10 years of Gabriel Omar Batistuta's life would be intertwined with Fiorentina's. Starting out as a fresh face in the Serie A championship, Batistuta quickly found a way to counter the heavily defensive style of most of his opponents and became a scoring machine for the Florence club. Unfortunately, with all his effort, Fiorentina relegated to Serie B in 1993 and Gabriel had lots of offers from bigger clubs.

Few believed a player of his class would remain to play in the second division but Batistuta showed a lot of guts and loyalty, staying with the team and helping them get back to the Serie A 2 years later. For this reason as well as for his 170 goals in 270 matches for Fiorentina, he is considered a local hero and the club even has a bronze statue of him.

Gabriel Batistuta Biography – End of Career - After 9 happy seasons with Fiorentina, Gabriel Omar Batistuta was bought by a strong AS Roma team in 2000, where he finally won the league title. After a short loan spell to Internazionale Milano in 2003, he decided to end his career in a money-move at Al Arabi, where he played for a season and a half, scoring 25 goals in 18 matches before hanging his soccer boots.