From The Mirror
Batistuta: "I am a man of passion and I hate the idea of defeat by England
GOAL king Gabriel Batistuta is a poet at heart with a liking for the finer things in life. The Argentine striker loves Florence and Fiorentina fans love him in equal measure. Little wonder that he recently signed a contract keeping him at the Italian club until 2003. It must be hard to tear yourself away from a club where fans have erected a 10-foot statue of you behind the goal.
The inscription beneath the monument to Batistuta at the Stadio Artemio Franchi says: "He is a warrior who will not surrender, who is hard in the fight but who is fair in his soul."
Very poetic, almost as much as Batistuta's explanation of his complex character.
In Florence he is loved nearly as much for his good-natured attitude to life and his strong Catholicism as for his goalscoring prowess.
Batistuta said: "I am still moved by the little things in life - something my children do or my wife says, a call from my parents, from a friend, a song, a movie.
Muscular
"I get a lump in my throat when I see old people struggling. A person who has given everything in life does not deserve this.
"It is sad to work for 30 or 40 years and not be able to reap the fruits of your industry. That hurts me a lot."
Not the sort, you might say, to be found letting off fire extinguishers in bars. But that sense of charity will not extend to Kevin Keegan or old adversary David Seaman on Wednesday night when England face Argentina.
Batistuta added: "I hate defeat - like most footballers. I share the passion and the desire for success that the fans have. In a way I've been very fortunate because I have always earned the respect of people around me. They know I am a man of passion, they know I will give all that I have."
It is a good thing for Seaman that he will not be at Arsenal's training ground today but will be with the England squad. That is because wild-haired and muscular Argentinian Batistuta is making the Gunners' HQ in the Hertfordshire countryside his base for planning his next step in a one-man campaign to wreck the dreams of English football.
And Seaman, England's goalkeeper, has more reason than most for avoiding reminders of his goalscoring powers. It was at Wembley - where England face Argentina on Wednesday - that Batistuta struck the second heart-breaking blow he has aimed at poor old Seaman, just at a time people were beginning to wonder whether the keeper's own brilliant powers were beginning to wane.
In typically piratical style, Batistuta surged down the right flank and scored a truly stunning goal from the most acute of angles that ensured a 1-0 defeat for Arsenal and finished their campaign in this season's Champions League. That was little more than a year after he put Seaman under such immediate pressure in that World Cup match between England and Argentina in St Etienne that he was awarded a penalty after just six minutes - and put it away effortlessly.
He scored again in the dramatic shoot-out that ended England's participation in France 98. But those two demolition jobs on the English game were not enough to satisfy him.Soon after engineering victory over Arsenal, he set about orchestrating Manchester United's worst defeat in Europe for five years.
It was some night in Florence when Batistuta scored once and set up another for fellow Argentine Abel Balbo as "La Violetta" defeated the European champions 2-0. Now he has the perfect opportunity to inflict yet another major blow on the soul of English football.
Ironically Batistuta, the 31-year-old who scores so regularly and spectacularly in the demanding arena of Italy's Serie A that he is nicknamed "Bati-Gol!" by the club's adoring fans, has arrived here praising the quality of the Premiership.
He said: "I love English football. I think it is probably more professional in Italy, but it certainly lacks the excitement of the Premiership."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes the bustling and athletic talents of Batistuta are perfectly suited to the Premiership. Ferguson said before United's collision with the Argentine in Florence: "We tried our best to buy him but their club president just would not sell. He would have scored goals for us, there is no doubt about that. He has been the top striker in Serie A for five out of the last six seasons and to me that says everything. That is why we wanted him. But it is very difficult to get the best players out of Italy. He enjoys a good lifestyle and the fans idolise him so it was always going to be hard to shift someone like that."
Batistuta loved the idea of playing at Old Trafford - and being fed by the crosses of David Beckham. But in the end the bond of his nine-year love affair with the fans of Fiorentina proved too strong.
Batistuta said: "If I ever leave Fiorentina, there's only one club I would like to join - Manchester United. I've had the chance to play in England, but it wasn't right for me. If I had played with Beckham I would have scored over 20 goals every season, no problem. It is always flattering to get attention from such a big club, but players who score goals always do. But I have always been happy in Florence. I love English football but everything is down to timing. I spoke with people from Manchester on a couple of occasions but we could not come to any agreement. I have a very lengthy contract in Italy and that opportunity has probably passed me by now. My family are very settled in Florence and I have a love for this club that would be difficult to break."
England coach Keegan must be praying Batistuta's crusade against English football is over. Keegan's team are not exactly bursting with confidence as they enter their first fixture of the year. And Batistuta has the explosive ability to pierce their self-belief even further after scoring more than 150 Serie A goals. Italian coaches like Giovanni Trapattoni have seen and done so much that they can sometimes be sparing in their praise of modern players. But Fiorentina's boss, who has groomed some of Italy's finest talents, rates Bati the best of all.
Trapattoni said: "Gabriel is a wonderful player, one of the greatest scorers I have ever seen." His Portugese team-mate in Florence, Rui Costa added: "If anything, Gabriel is under-rated. That shows just how incredible he is, given his goalscoring record. He has all the skills and attributes of a great striker and, what's more, he has courage and intelligence."
Seaman and England....you have been warned!
