Batistuta, the controversial signing that gave AS Roma their last Serie A
The signing of Batistuta was very controversial, since many treated him as a traitor. Be that as it may, he helped AS Roma win their last Serie A.
Gabriel Batistuta is an Argentine player, who in his time was considered one of the best scorers of his time. His first stage in European football was in Italy, more specifically at Fiorentina. In that team, he became a true legend. In total, he played 9 seasons, in which he scored 207 goals and gave 66 assists in 333 games. In fact, his goal-scoring average was 0.62 per game, staggering numbers despite playing for a team that couldn't compete against teams like Milan or Juventus.
Batistuta played 9 seasons at Fiorentina
He won two titles, the Italian Cup (1995/1996) and the Italian Super Cup (1996), a championship on the rise to return to Serie A (1993/1994). Batistuta was so loved at Fiorentina that he even had his statue at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. In it, he appeared celebrating a goal with the motto: "Guerriero mai domo, duro nella lotta, leale nell'animo" (Warrior never tamed, tough in the fight, loyal in the soul). The figure was a gift from the 'Colettivo Autonomo Viola', a Hooligan group from the Florence team.
Many believed that Batistuta would retire in that team, but it was not so. At that time, Batistuta was 31 years old and wanted a new challenge, to succeed in an important team and that was how AS Roma appeared. Obviously, neither the fans nor the Fiorentina president wanted him to leave the club. But the player and his representative insisted until AS Roma made its first offer, 35 million dollars. A millionaire and unprecedented pass for a 31-year-old player. Finally, on June 6, 2000, the signing was made official. A few days before, a newspaper article appeared on the front page of the newspaper Corriere dello Sport, in which it was said that Batistuta would become an AS Roma player. This caught the club president by surprise, as he was unwilling to spend so much money on a player. But that newspaper article generated so much pressure from fans that he was forced to shell out $35 million.
Batistuta signed with AS Roma with the aim of winning Serie A
Batistuta was happy to leave Fiorentina, as he was very worried about the financial situation of the club. And he was not wrong, years later, Fiorentina declared bankruptcy and had to be refunded. "I made this decision thinking that Roma could be the team that will allow me to perform at my best in the last years of my career. I'm not here to be the king, but to join the group". Many called him a traitor and he received a lot of criticism from the media. But Batistuta just wanted to finish his time at Fiorentina in peace. "I love the Florentines and I'm a fan from Fiorentina, that will not be different despite this change". However, many Fiorentina fans hated this decision, they felt betrayed. The next day, the statue of Batistuta was found decapitated and was never repaired again.
The statue of Batistuta no longer exists
That season, Roma was the candidate for the league title, as they had Fabio Capello as coach and top-level players: Samuel, Aldair, Cafú, Emerson, Balbo, Totti and, of course, Batistuta. And "Batigol" responded with many goals. He converted 20 goals in 28 games played in Serie A (0.71 goals), the top scorer on the entire team. Thanks to his goals and the work of the rest of the team, AS Roma won the long-awaited Scudetto, a title that the capital's residents had been denied for 18 years. Months later, AS Roma would beat Fiorentina in the Italian Super Cup.
Sometime later, coach Capello explained why he asked Batistuta as a striker for the team. "We signed Batistuta because we needed an important striker like him, a strong header, a goal-scoring man, a leader on the field and in the locker room. He was very important to win the title." Now Batistuta's compatriot Paulo Dybala has just joined AS Roma, aiming to make history.
Continue reading: OFFICIAL: Paulo Dybala joins Roma with Mourinho playing KEY role
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