Matteo Dotto from Italy:

"Bati" is the greatest goal-maker in the history of the Argentine Team. On September 25, 1988 in Tucuman he had his baptism. That day he played against San Martin his first match in First Division. Ten years have gone by since then, and under the bridges much water and many goals have passed by. 237 for being sharp.

Today he's one of the best forwards in the world. He's famous and he's a millionaire. But his story wasn't all the way like this. Bati tells it:

"That Tuesday I was coming from Reconquista and a mate from the Newells' lower divisions asked me why I wasn't training with the First. I thought he was kidding and he replied that they were really looking for me. So I showed up and practised a while and a few days later I joined the team on the way to Tucuman. They were playing against San Martin. I was in at the second half and we lost 1-0. That's how this story began."

Asime went by, another image was attached in Bati's head: his first goal.

"It was in Velez (Sarsfield) stadium, in a match for the Libertadores Cup's hemi-finals, against San Lorenzo. It was a right side kick from far, in spite that some newspapers said it was odd because I had hit one of the defenders. But I recall it as an all-mine score"

Bati started in one of the best Newell's teams in history: Martino, Sensini, Scoponi, Llop and "Yaya" Rossi were there, among others.

"We played very well. But what I remember quite painfully is in the Libertadores finals when we lost against Nacional in Montevideo. They gave us a nice shake and they won 3-0.

BUENOS AIRES KILLS ME

Just one season in Rosario was enough for this young scorer to make people pay attention. "In 1989 I nearly joined the Cremonese. But as they took Dezotti, Aloisio made the deal for me with River Plate. What is curious is that the agreement was sealed during the tour that River & Newells made in Italy. I went along but didn't play with any of them so I watched all the games from my seat!"

The red band wasn't that bad at the beginning. But good luck didn't play fair and soon showed the other face. "In River I had a good start. With Merlo we both fought for the contest, but Mostaza had to go and when Passarella came on he left me out of the nominals. That was a bad time then and soon after I had to leave the club."

THE "BATI-GOAL" IS BORN

Maybe there wasn't any worse place to revenge. After a bad step in River, Boca (Juniors) was coming to give him the chance to change his image. And he could make an impossible: get "Doce" into his pocket; forget his millionaire past and get tired ofscoring goals.

"In Boca I didn't start very well. I was in because Aimar asked me to, but I could not respond. And I exploded with Teacher Tabarez. I remember those two goals to River in the Monumental Stadium for the Libertadores Cup and my society with Diego Latorre. The saddest thin was the elimination of the Libertadores against Colo-Colo, the scandal that day and my absence in the finals of the championship against Newells."

PURPLE IDOL

What is true, is that when Diego Latorre had the luggage ready to go to Fiorentina, the italians put an eye on him and chose to take HIM. And off he went.

"Being faithful to my habits, I had a bad start in the Fiore. I didn't find any solidary mates so I had to make it on my own. But I made my way soon and the goals started to show up. The nicest thing was the party they had prepared in Italy when we won the Italian Cup with the Fiorentina in 1996. We were coming by bus from Bergamo and they were waiting for us at 4.00 am in Florence. They were 30,000 people!"

DREAMS OF THE SELECTION

One day in 1991 he appeared and never went back. Basile called him for the American Cup in Chile and he exploded there, becoming the historical goal scorer of the selection, with 48 goals in 67 games, and overthrowing one such as Diego Maradona...!

"In the Selection you love all your goals, though I remember one especially, the one I scored against Chile for the American Cup in 1991. I don't watch that much football on TV but sometimes I play the tape with that goal. It was a wonderful play: Goyco took it, I headed for Caniggia, he gave it back to me and then I grabbed and made it. It was great. Besides all this, I still keep a big unpaid balance: the World Cups. Both eliminations were hard for Argentina."

Deep inside, like when he left River through the small door, he still feels he has a place for the revenge.

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