There have been few more fearsome sights for a retreating defender than Gabriel Batistuta in full flow.
The Argentine was a force of nature, rocketing in 249 often unforgettable goals in 440 career league appearances. The 45-year-old’s playing days ended a decade ago just before the YouTube generation took hold, though he created a showreel the envy of the rest of the world.
The thunderous strikes came in droves, first crossing the venomous Buenos Aires
divide between River Plate and Boca Juniors in his homeland to a near decade-long love affair with Fiorentina and the long-awaited taste of Serie A title success at Roma.
His mixture of power, anticipation, faultless control and desire made him the archetypal centre forward. There was no rest for the opposition, being equally accomplished trapping a raking Manuel Rui Costa throughball and volleying in from close range with the Viola as standing over a 30-yard free-kick.
His lethality extended to the Albiceleste jersey, plundering a national record 56 goals in only 78 appearances thanks to exemplary service from the likes of Diego Maradona and Ariel Ortega. The nickname ‘Batigol’ was a perfect fit.
The trademark long hair is now gone, the machine gun celebration last seen during a swansong at Qatari club Al Arabi.
That famous fighting spirit has remained dormant during retirement in rural Argentina where he has been seen on his nation’s polo fields rather than football pitches.
Yet the phenomenal success of team-mate Diego Simeone in the Atletico Madrid dugout has seemingly rekindled the competitive fire, with the time now right for a venture into coaching.
“After 10 years without soccer, I want to start working again,” Batistuta told Sport360° at the Abu Dhabi Invitational Pro-Am at Yas Links. “I want to follow my friend [Diego] Simeone.
“That hunger is still inside. If I do it, I will do my best. As a player you can only do things on the field. As coaches, you can show your players what to do. I watch football, but do not follow just one team. I want to coach. I haven’t started yet. I am looking for a good place.
“Argentina has too much pressure, even Italy is the same. I want to start in a calmer place.”
Batistuta has long resisted the urge to swap his boots for a smart suit, being at pains throughout his career to state there was more to life than football.
Yet a brief foray as technical secretary at lowly Colon in his home province of Santa Fe recently hinted at new desires.
Could the UAE, where his hallowed compatriot Maradona took charge of Al Wasl between 2011 and 2012, be the place to start his coaching dreams?
“Why not? Here or England, this is where you can work without problems,” he adds.
Simeone has created a template to follow, dragging Atleti to the La Liga title and Champions League final defeat last term.
There was little surprise from Batistuta that the enforcer in their great Argentina side would go on to enjoy such highs.
He said: “I had no doubts about Diego. He always loved soccer and loved teaching it. I had no doubts he would do great things. He inspired us all the time. He deserves the moment he is living now. He loved his sport, loved the work and he can transmit this sensation to the players. I am very happy for him.”
Ankle problems has caused great distress for much of his retirement, but ‘Batigol’ remains in great shape.
A man who raised tens of thousands to their feet as a player now gets his kicks on the golf course and even there the impulse to be the best burns brightly.
He said: “I have been resting. I came back home, I live in a farm – play some polo, play some golf and relax. I try to ride the horses.
“I had a problem in my ankle, which meant I could not play soccer anymore. I started playing golf and I fell in love with it.
“I love competitive sport, I love competing. If I play soccer, golf or even if I do not know anything about the sport, I still want to win.
“It is something that never leaves you and that you have to have inside. If you do not like competing, stay at home.
“I enjoyed all my career. It was 30 years playing football. I played three World Cups, I cannot complain. It feels different now, I cannot believe what I did. I am enjoying [looking back at] my work now.”
The purple of Fiorentina is a colour that he will forever be associated with. During a spell when Serie A was the dominant division in world football, he was the pre-eminent striker.
He was pitted against the likes of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Ciro Ferrera, Fabio Cannavaro and Paolo Montero in a team that often had no right to compete. ‘Batigol’ dragged them from relegation to contention, though the elusive league title could not be claimed before a heart-wrenching move to Roma in 2000.
“Fiorentina was everything for me,” said Batistuta, who cried in an emotional induction ceremony to the Viola’s hall of fame last year. “I almost lived my whole career there.
“I lived my best moments there. I arrived in Florence with just my wife and left with three boys.
“It is harder for players to stay loyal now. There is so much money, and it is easier to go everywhere.
“I think there are few people like myself Francesco Totti, Javier Zanetti who have stayed so long in one place. It becomes tougher to do that all the time.”
A new challenge and lucrative financial package eventually saw him follow the likes of the De Boer twins, Marcel Desailly and Stefan Effenberg to Qatar. Investment in football there has continued apace, with the World Cup set to be hosted in seven years.
He said: “I am sure Qatar will do well. The only problem is the weather, but I think they will solve it. It will be a funny World Cup, in a small country. All the matches will be in a few places. I have great memories there. I had two years in Qatar and lived very well.
“In general, I have great memories about Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I miss this place when I am in Argentina.
“Everyone is very friendly here. To coach here one day, why not?”
