Batistuta Acclaimed by 23,000 Supporters at Fiorentina's Centenary

Gabriel Batistuta was acclaimed by more than 23,000 supporters who remained at the Artemio Franchi stadium on Saturday evening during festivities marking Fiorentina’s 100th anniversary. The Argentine, the club’s all-time leading scorer with 207 goals in nine seasons, received one of the biggest ovations of the evening among roughly 200 former players, coaches and executives gathered for the occasion.

The evening had started on a sour note for Fiorentina supporters, however, with the Viola suffering a heavy defeat to Frosinone (0-3). But the crowd stayed in large numbers for the parade of former greats, alongside whom were notably Rui Costa, Luca Toni, Franck Ribéry, Adrian Mutu, Francesco Toldo, Alberto Gilardino and Dunga, all gathered beforehand at a gala lunch at Viola Park.

Visibly moved, Batistuta told Sky Sport Italia: “Coming back here is an immense emotion, sharing this pitch with so many legends… I look at the supporters, the Fiesole that I hadn’t seen in years, and it’s magnificent. Fiorentina and Florence have missed me so much. The best things of my career, I did them on this pitch and in this stadium. Every time I think about football, I think about Fiorentina.” He summed up this attachment with a striking phrase: “Fiorentina is what I miss every time I wake up.”

The bond between the Argentine and Florence goes far beyond the sporting realm. Arriving in 1991, Batistuta spent nine seasons in the violet shirt, notably refusing to leave during the club’s relegation to Serie B in 1993. A loyalty that earned him a statue erected by supporters during his lifetime.

At 57 years old, the former striker has led a deliberately quiet existence since his retirement in 2005: he raises cattle on his land in Reconquista, his hometown in Argentina, and participates in events with the FIFA Legends. “I was hard on myself for 40 years. Now, I live what remains to me with joy,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport this summer.

His retirement has also been marked by the physical aftereffects of a career at very high intensity. After suffering for a long time to the point of publicly evoking the idea of amputation, Batistuta now wears two titanium artificial ankles. “I can’t run, but I can play football. Let’s say I play without moving,” he joked recently. On Saturday evening at the Franchi, thirty-five years after his arrival in Florence, he didn’t need to run anyway.