"The Viola" Captain

Date: June 1999
By: Matteo Marani
Source: Guerin Sportivo
Transcribed & translated by: Mari

The "Viola" captain opens his heart to us: He talked about the past and the things 'tomorrow' may bring:

"I'll be president....Cecchi Gori asked me to take over Fiorentina's presidency in the future, this could be a possibility, but let me tell you I will not be president in name only. My role will be 'hands-on' (an active role)."

"I'll stay in "Firenze" but there's a condition, Fiorentina must keep Trapattoni. My future with Fiorentina is linked to Trapattoni staying."

"Sometime back my future was linked to Parma, Moratti and I talked in several occations. But I'm a proud man, I would like to win here."

"If I had been playing with Juve, I'm sure I would have won "Il Pallone D'Oro" more than once, I haven't had enough help from Fiorentina."

"Edmundo? The beaches of Rio are too far away, there's non here. The fault rest with those who brought him here."

"Revanelli? The fans must understand that we need people like Ravanelli, people that know how to win and wants to win. Like Torricelli.

A Batistuta like this is hardly heard or seen. The best captain in "Serie A" talked to us in an honest and long interview. He thanks us for awarding him with "Il Guerin D'Oro". An award given for a life of excellence in sports. Three main points Bati point for the future:

First: Trapattoni must remain at "Firenze"
Second: Fiorentina must buy quality players, both strong of body and mind.
Third: I'll be Fiorentina's president only if I'll have an active role.

Now here's Batistuta's interview which took place in a sunny day in Florence. Summer is here Bati, the end of another season.

Are you happy how this last one turned out?
"At the begining of every season my wish is to obtain the highest goals. By this I mean, I'm not happy with a fourth or fifth place. I'm not happy with the way things were this last month. On the other hand, I'm satisfied because Fiorentina was a competitive squad, one that was talked about during all the championship. It was time for us to be at this point!!!"

To you personally, what does this season left you... the knowledge of being a great leader? The opportunity to work with Trapattoni...
"Of the things you mentioned the last one is for me the most important. By knowing Tapattoni, I have meet one of soccer's most imortant man. He is an open book. A man that will talk to you not only of soccer but of other things that can make an impact on you. Things that will help you see life is a broader light. For this and more my gratitude goes to Trap".

He's one that does not mince words.....
"Yes, he's one that's not afraid of being heard. One whose not afraid to jump in the middle of things. Our characters are much alike."

How?
"We both like to continue improving, we are not arrogant, but know our value. We are open to suggestions. He is 60 years old and he's open to suggestions from people half his age. Understood me well.....He listens and listens attentively."

Is this important?
"No, it's more than that, it's fundamental. One who knows so much but takes time to hear a 20 or 25 year old.... that says so much to me about the man. He also knows how to bring the best in you, he never gives up. Yes, he has many qualities. If you think...."

What?
"Someone like him that has worked with Platini, with lots of champions, one who has won 30 titles, to lend his ears to some that has won so little or none....There are not many like him out there."

Once again you seem to be the most convinced of all this in Fiorentina.
"Well, Yes, because of all I said and more. When we were at the top of Serie A he was kind of nervous, he kept talking to us, saying we couldn't 'fall asleep', we couldn't be too confident. We should not loose our advantage, we shouldn't throw away all that we've gained. He understands people, he knows what the players want or need. He understands me."

We could say that Trapattoni and you believed that Fiorentina has the chance to win the "scudetto'?
"Yes, we were convinced that we were able to win the "scudetto".

Bati, in all honesty, how many in the team thought like you.....
"I don't know. Well, maybe not all. Because if all had thought it possible, we could have won the "scudetto" this year. Yes, there was no conviction in some of them."

There are people who say Fiorentina is not a title winning Team. What do you have to say to this?
"We were first for so long, we won the winter title. If we were able to keep the first place for that long, it shows we were a competitive team. We were there because we deserve it. If our team was not as strong as others....the more the credit to Fiorentina for staying at the top for so long a time. Later at some point....."

What happen then, what went wrong?
"Lack of confidence, lack of believing that we could make it. To win you need this winning mentality throughout the team, not just two or three. All should think it's possible. This was missing in Fiorentina. This winning mentality was not true in all of us."

The things going on in the locker-room, were they part of the problems?
"Negative things always affects the atmosphere of a group. Some players being affected more than others. This is always bad."

What were the reason for Fiorentina not to be able to mantain this 'top quality status', this time it seems so close and then Fiorentina became their own enemy.
"Thats true. We were responsible for trowing away a beautiful dream."

Do you have an answer for this 'masochisim'?
"This is a defect of ours, when things are going right, there's so much euphoria. We tend to think that we are already there, when in reality we are not."

And......
"You enter the playing field and lose, you need a management that keep you on your toes, seeing that everything is working properly, that everyone is giving their best. Don't get me wrong I'm not blaming the management only, we the players are the ones on the pitch, we have the last word so to speak. I don't want anyone thinking I'm looking for an alibi. This is like a battle, you have to fight till the end."

So you're saying that three or four stars in a team are not enough for winning....
"We are not all the same, I don't want to point blames. The thing I have to say is that we have to believe in ourselves and that belief we have to carry it till the end. You cannot be content to just get a glimpse of great things, you have to fight and achieve them."

You're saying this, thinking of the season to come?
"Yes, and I think if Trapattoni decides to stay, nothing like this would happen again. I don't know if we will win the "scudetto" but the desire for winning will be in all of us till the end."

Do you think there's a chance that Trapattoni would not be with Fiorentina next season?
"With the arrival of Trapattoni many things changed in Fiorentina, many big and small changes have taken place even in management. He's a man with great experience and one who knows what he wants and how to get it. What's more important he's been heard, a thing that until now has been very difficult here even to those who know the soccer-world well."

If Tapattoni leaves Fiorentina, what are your plans in that eventuality?
"I don't even want to think about it....

But what if it happens?
"At this moment I cannot answer this question. I only know that if Trapattoni leaves that means that we will be starting over. We will not be following something already in progress, we'll be starting at zero again. When you're begining something you may take the wrong approaches, but this is far from happening. Trapattoni will remain at "Firenze". It has to be that way so Fiorentina will get to be a great team. For Fiorentina to keep it's role as protoganist we need Trapattoni here."

So you think this championship can be construed as the first step to a protagonist Fiorentina?
"Yes, but I think this began last year with Malesani, we were lucky that we could get Trapattoni, there's no other like him."

Tanzi, Parma's president, said that your pass to Parma last year was a sure thing. What happened?
"First of all I want you all to understand that my wanting to leave Fiorentina has nothing to do with the team and a lot to do with "la societa" (management). When Trapattoni arrived, I realized that he was capable of making himself heard and that he was able to obtain the things he wanted."

These two moves, Trapattoni-Malesani, have changed Fiorentina and Parma's luck....
"Well, it makes me change my mind."

Tell us a little bit of this 'change of mind'?
"My final decision was taken a month and a half after Trap was already in "Firenze'. I kept in touch with my teammates by phone and they kept me informed. They were very enthusiastic with Trap. They told me he was very accesible and open. Then he called me, we talked several times. He was able to smooth things between me and the management."

Along with Parma, Inter has been after you for quite sometime.....
"They have offered to buy me before buying Ronaldo and after they acquired the brazilian."

Do you have any regrets on not being able to play along-side your friend Ronaldo?
It's impossible to play with all the great stars like Baggio, Zidane and all the others. There's good chemistry between Ronaldo and I, even though we don't see each other often there's a strong friendship between us. It's nice when you meet these super-stars and they know you and respect you. It's a lovely feeling when they call you 'Bati" like the ones who love and appreciate you and not Batistuta."

Lets go back to Trap. Will you win with him?
"We can win, yes. I'm 30 years old, I cannot start all over, we have to continue this that we've started. Sometimes I ask myself: When would I win, when would I play in a big team.... No, we cannot start all over again, we have to follow through. This has been my problems with management. This is what makes me angry."

Why?
"Because they lacked the winning mentality. They don't have the tenacity to see things through. This management is not open to others opinions. My faith is all with Trap, I only hope the president will hear and do what Trapattoni asks."

You've been very critical in the way Edmundo's case was handled by the management. Now after everything has ended, what do you think about all that?
"Looking back now, the fault lies in the ones that brought him here. He didn't want to be here so why force him."

But couldn't you talk to him, try to make him at ease here.
"At first we took him to dinner, we talked to him in many occations, I'm not trying to make us all look good. He's the one who should say the things we all did to make him feel welcome. Even at times I had strong words towards Rui because of some not too possitive attitudes. I have to admit I had some strong words towards Edmundo later on as well."

What does Edmundo say to you face to face?
"One thing he has said to me: "I don't want to stay here in "Firenze". After that, what else can you do or say."

You are the number one bomber in the decade of the nineties. Your loyalty towards your team when they were relegated to "Serie B" was admirable. You have said "NO" to the millions of dollars offered to you by big teams around the world. You have all these qualities that make up a wonderful professional, could you not enlighten him about what being a professional entails?
"Everyone of us is different. What's important to me may not be important to others. My opinion is that the mistake was to force him to stay when he didn't want to. If Edmundo would have been happy or content here, I'm sure we would have won the "scudetto". None of us has any doubt of his abilities as a player. But with him playing the way he has, it's of no use. For him to play, he has to be happy or at least content."

And in "Firenze" there's no "Copa-cabana"........
"(smile) No we don't have "Rio" beaches in "Firenze" but we have lots of other things. But the problem was he never got assimilated to the culture."

What happened with the Fiorentina dinner's, why were they stopped?
"No, we still have them, but when we lost the first place, we also lost much of the interest of the press, so they didn't follow what we did after the matches. Dinners will not help you win."

What will?
A good head, a winning mentality. There are good players and good players with winning mentalities."

When you see Parma win "La Copa Italia" against you, later on the "Copa UEFA", did you feel any regrets for not being part of the Parma team?
"Then I will have to feel the same way when Barcelona, Real Madrid and others win. One of my career's greatest satisfactions is seeing all the offers that have been made for me from the biggest teams in the world. Yes, this is only a small consolation due to the fact that I have won very little with my team. But still for me personally it's very important."

Summer is almost here and with it comes "calciomercato", where will Batistuta be going?
"Nowhere, I've said all year long that I will remain here. I want to stay here, I want to be part of this new cycle. I hope the management let it continue. But if management lets Trap go, I want to make this very clear, there will be problems between the management and I again."

If things remain the way they are now........
"Then.....I'll be staying."

Have you given any thought that being you the greatest striker in the world of the decade of the 90's along with Van-Basten, you risk being called 'second to', because you haven't won anything big?
"Well, It saddens me a little."

That's all?
"You have to look at this in a positive light, I'm a positive person. I've been here for eight years, of those years we've been a middle table team, we even spent a season in "Serie B"....Eventhough I'm considered one of the best strikers in the world. This kind of double the merit, don't you think?"

For Fiorentina to win next year they will need to buy more good players......
"I'm certain the management will be buying the players we need."

Who do you want at your back next year?
"Winning people."

Ravanelli is part of that category but many "tifosi" are against him. Is this fair?
"I already said my opinion about this and they made a case of it. We have to keep in mind that this is only a minority speaking. We have to be above any rivalry. Rivalry is something I know a lot about having played the derby "Boca/River". You have to keep in mind that we are all profesionals here."

For you, who's the real "tifosi-Viola".
"The real tifosi is the one who wants the best for his team. What better example than Toricelli, he was contested at first and now is a favorite of the people. As is Rui Costa. Player's that leave everything in the field, player's that want to win always. That's what a real "tifosi" wants."

You want to be the "Viola" president at the end of your career?
"Hey!!!! I didn't ask for it Cecchi Gori offered it to me."

Will you accept it?
"Yes, I will accept. But this has to be very clear to all, if I accept the precidency of Fiorentina, I'll not be just a presence there, I'll be taking an active role. I'm not one to see things go by. I'm always part of them. I can't imagine myself content just looking from the sidelines."

So, this is almost a sure thing.
"Well yes, you see....my children are growing up here, attending school here, our family life has been evolving here. So the plans we used to have for returning to Reconquista may change."

Bati, you seem to look more italian every day, is that so.....
"I live here, my every day life is as that of any one here. We eat the same things, we dress as they do. Eventhough I prefer my old, big "confy" shirts. I'm kind of old-fashion."

Inside you....what has changed?
"It's difficult to explain. It's difficult to pin-point changes that have taken place gradually in your own person. But something must have changed, when I arrived here I was a young kid, now I'm a man. I'm a husband and a father. This in itself is a big change. I'm more mature, not more responsible because that I've always been. I learned reponsibility as a young boy thanks to the teaching and caring of my parents."

Now you are rich and famous, living in "Firenze" one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Anything missing?
"I don't think you can have everything in your life, no matter the amount of money you have. There are things that money can't buy. There are things that you have to give up for whatever reasons. In my case for me to obtain the things I've achieved I had to live away from my parents and my sisters."

The love for Argentina you carry inside you, is it strong?
Yes, it is, I lived there for 18 years. Every time there's talk of Argentina something inside me is touched. But besides this I miss my mother, I'm very close to her. I miss the walks my father and I used to take, and I miss having my sisters close by."

What about in the soccer world?
"Well, I would have liked to have won all that I've played."

You have never won "Il Pallone D'Oro". This is incredible. For many of us this has been one of the biggest injustices in the soccer world....
"I don't know if it's an injustice, but this year it was kind of sad for me in the sense that I thought I'll be in one of the first three places. Zidane won the World Cup and had a very good year with Juve, so he got first place, but I thought I'll be able to get one of the other two. But what happened? I was in sixth place. This I couldn't understand."

Many people contested this. So they said that for receiving "I'll Pallone D'Oro" you have to collect titles.....
"My only regret in staying in Fiorentina is precisely that."

Playing with Juve I'm sure you would have won at least two......
"Probably playing with another team I would have been first in the 'podium'. I cannot say that the Fiorentina management has helped me a lot in winning this."

How come?
"The way they have taken care of things. But I want to say something...."

Go ahead.....
"I'm happy with my decision of staying at "Firenze". I love to win when I'm at a disadvantage. All these seasons, but the last one, we've been at a big disadvantage, I'm a proud man, I want to win something here, something big. That's why I have declined all the offers presented to me. And above all, I would like to win for the people of "Firenze", so I can return to them some of the love they have given me throughout the years."

Lets talk about them, those "Firenze" fans who love their "capitano" unconditionally....
"They took me under their wing since my first year. They comittioned a statue for me, they gifted me with a star, so up there there's a star which carries my name. They've done beautiful, incredible things for me."

A beautiful love story we could say.....
"Yes, and we've even had some little quarrels (he smiles at this). But they forgive me. If anyone would said to me the things I said, I don't know if I would have been so forgiving."

You threatened them with your leaving, you had strong words toward "la societa"......
"Yes, I said things against the management this past two summers, but all of it was and is true. I didn't hide, I said the things I was feeling and was very straight forward. That is why they forgave me. I always say things face to face, never behind anyone's back. They respect that."

Your rapport with the "tifosi"...
"I've always been very honest with them. They know that outside the playing field, I value my privacy. They know I'm a family man, they don't bother me or my family. I can say that we have reached a perfect equilibrium."

Bati, what's your dream?
"I have won two "Copa Americas", I've been in two World Cups always as a protagonist. I'm proud of the things I've achieved. If some day I win the "scudetto" with Fiorentina, I don't know......

Don't know what?
"If this happens I may retire, I would have achieved all that's important to me."

Tell me as a conclusion, what things should not be repeated so Fiorentina could win the "scudetto"?
"Don't force anyone to stay when they don't want to, bring players with winning mentality. Leave everything in Trapattoni's hands."