Batistuta gets No. 9 shirt
May 22, 2002
NARAHA, Japan (AP) -- Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa said Wednesday that Gabriel Batistuta will wear the No. 9 shirt at the World Cup, fueling speculation that the AS Roma striker may have won the battle with Hernan Crespo to lead Argentina's attack.
1, German Burgos, 2, Roberto Ayala, 3, Juan Pablo Sorin, 4, Mauricio Pochettino, 5, Matias Almeyda, 6, Walter Samuel, 7, Claudio Lopez, 8, Javier Zanetti, 9, Gabriel Batistuta, 11, Juan Sebastian Veron, 12, Pablo Cavallero, 13, Diego Placente, 14, Diego Simeone, 15, Claudio Husain, 16, Pablo Aimar, 17, Gustavo Lopez, 18, Kily Gonzalez, 19, Hernan Crespo, 20, Marcelo Gallardo, 21, Claudio Caniggia, 22, Jose Chamot, 23, Ariel Oretga, 24, Roberto Bonano.
Bielsa revealed his final 23-man squad at the team's training camp. It's a list, however, that ends with No. 24 -- assigned to goalkeeper Roberto Bonano -- after Diego Maradona's No. 10 was definitively withdrawn from use in homage to the midfield legend.
The rivalry for a starting place between Batistuta -- Argentina's all-time leading scorer -- and Lazio's prolific striker Crespo has been intense and the source of frenzied speculation in Argentina.
While the No. 9 may have been handed to Batistuta merely as a mark of respect for his track record, the announcement of the squad numbers added fuel to the fire.
Despite constant pressure back home -- and from the likes of Maradona -- to play Batistuta and Crespo together, Bielsa insists the two players are too similiar in characteristics.
Bielsa also favors a 3-3-1-3 formation, with two wide players supporting a sole striker.
He has said Batistuta and Crespo would most likely feature together only if Argentina has to chase a game.
Bielsa is spoiled for choice with an enviable array of talent that cruised through the qualifying stages. The Argentines have since been installed as firm favorites to win its third World Cup title.
The spine of the team will be formed by defender Roberto Ayala (No. 2), midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron (No. 11) and either Batistuta or Crespo (No. 19.) up front. But the goalkeeping position is still up for grabs, with German Burgos and Pablo Cavallero fighting it out.
Burgos was given the No. 1 jersey and Cavallero No. 12.
Other numbers of note were No. 14 for Diego Simeone, Argentina's most capped player, while Claudio Caniggia, recovering from injury, was given No. 21.
But it was the No. 9 shirt that captured the imagination of the Argentine press corps at the training camp.
Hungry for a scoop, newspapers also noted what they considered another sign: Bielsa called Batistuta over for a chat, which, they noted, lasted just over two minutes, 30 seconds. Moments later, "Batigol" burst through to score the match winner.
Argentina squad: