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Gabriel Batistuta
Nickname: “Bati”, “Batigol”
Date of birth; 1 February 1969 in Reconquista, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian and Italian
Clubs: 1988-1989: Newell’s Old Boys (28 matches, 8 goals). 1989-1990: River Plate (24 matches, 4 goals). 1990-1991: Boca Juniors (47 matches, 19 goals). 1991-2000: Fiorentina (332 matches, 207 goals). 2000-2002: Roma (86 matches, 33 goals). 2003: Inter Milan (12 matches, 2 goals). 2003-2005: Al-Arabi (Qatar; 26 matches, 26 goals).
Honours: 1990: Argentinian league champion. 1991: Copa America winner, player of the year in South America. 1993: Copa America winner. 1994: played in the FIFA World Cup™ in the USA (4 matches, 4 goals). 1996: Italian cup winner. 1998: played in the FIFA World Cup™ in France (5 matches, 5 goals). 2001: Italian league champion. 2002: played in the FIFA World Cup™ in Korea/Japan (3 matches, 1 goal). 78 caps and 56 goals for Argentina.

“Batigol” does not miss football
As handsome as ever, now with a goatee, and always well dressed, like a model. This is former football star Gabriel Batistuta at 39, who now says he does not miss the sport.
No, no, I’m in Argentina now, I’m here,” Batistuta replies when asked where he has hung his hat, where he calls home. Indeed, a few months ago the former Argentina striker decided to leave behind the good life in Perth, Australia, to return to Argentina, to the small town of Reconquista in the province of Santa Fe, after a long absence. It has taken 17 years for this international superstar to return to his roots.
This quiet town is where Batistuta now spends all of his time. Unlike in Buenos Aires, Florence or Rome, a few of the cities where he has lived at one time or another, he can walk around here without being bothered or asked for autographs. He is the most famous person in town, but he is Gabriel, just another neighbour, who as a child played basketball and dreamed of becoming the next Michael Jordan, because he did not like football that much … until he changed his mind, starting out with Platense Porvenir football club.
He went back to Argentina for various reasons, even though he enjoyed life in Perth, where he spent his time with his family – his boys – and playing golf, and he had always had doubts about returning because of safety concerns. “Australia was great for a lot of reasons, because the people are respectful and they respect your privacy and let you get on with your life. There’s also the question of safety. I went to live there because it’s an organised country.” So why has he returned to Argentina, where “you come, it’s chaos, and you wonder why we can’t be like them”?
It was in large part because he wanted to be closer to his family, who had health problems, and to take on other responsibilities, such as taking care of the livestock and thousands of hectares he has invested in, and the many people he employs, together with his dad, Osmar. The situation has become complicated in the last few months, with the confrontation between farmers and the government in
Argentina. On this subject, Gabriel says “there was a massive dispute, and I was on the side of the farmers”. He now lives with his wife Irina and their four sons -Thiago, Lucas, Joaquin and Shamel — in a new house that he built in his hometown. “I go about my business here and nobody takes any notice of me,” he laughs.
WALKING ON CRUTCHES
Two of his sons are football-mad and have shown talent for the sport in the village, but Gabriel is frustrated because he cannot even have a kick-about with them. His long and vigorous career left “Batigol” with ankle problems, making even walking difficult, so he recently had to have surgery and was on crutches. But he never gives up, and hopes to be able to continue playing golf, his favourite sport, and polo. In fact, it is in Reconquista that he has taken the innovative step of establishing a centre for those two sports, to be called “La Gloria”, in honour of his mother, a housewife and volunteer at the local hospital.
Since he cannot play, and he is not seen at matches, what is his relationship with football now? He is completing the coaching course offered by the Argentinian association of coaches via the internet: “I’ve been taking it quite seriously because there are two subjects I’m particularly interested in: psychology and group management. I’ve already said that the secret to being a good coach is picking the right time to say things. That is 80 per cent of a coach’s job.”
Batistuta dreams of becoming a coach, although at the moment he is preoccupied by other things and acknowledges that he needs to be better prepared before taking on such a challenge: “I don’t want to coach yet. I don’t miss football at all, I only watch the occasional game, like the recent EURO tournament in Austria and Switzerland. It would be stupid to get involved in all that now, I still have to mentally prepare myself. I don’t need it today, but if the Argentina national team calls, I’ll say yes, because there are other motivations involved there.”
“IT WAS A BIT OF A PAIN”
Beyond everyday concerns, this extraordinary former player, who speaks four languages (Spanish, Italian, English and Arabic), takes the time to recall a few anecdotes from his successful past, when he could not walk the streets of Florence in peace. He tells this story with a smile: “I lived on top of the hill, away from the centre. And when I wanted to go to eat at a restaurant, I called to say I was going, I got dropped at the door of the restaurant and I went in. It was uncomfortable, and everyone always agreed with everything I said. ‘Bati said so …” That can go to your head if you don’t have your feet firmly on the ground. It was a bit of a pain, and I was always pretty calm, I never understood what it is that a player inspires in people just by scoring a goal; I’ve never understood it. I can understand that they value you as an example of hard work, but for them to agree with you when you say ‘good morning’ at 8.00 p.m. is another thing.
He is still the top scorer in the history of the Argentinian national team, a major achievement, even though “records are there to be broken”. He recalls a memorable moment that went beyond winning titles: “I remember the good things. Like the 1994 World Cup, when we were in Boston, lining up to go onto the pitch, behind Diego Maradona: we all had goose bumps. I’ll also never forget watching the 1990 World Cup in Italy on television and thinking that I would play at the next one.” He never won a FIFA World Cup77″, not in 1994, 1998 or 2002. And, without him, Argentina did not succeed in winning in 2006 and have yet to win any other major titles: “There are some very good players, but we need to grow a little more. Luckily, 2010 is still way off. Some things need to be changed fot the team to become winners. We cannot think we are better than we are, we have to be realistic. In South America, we are the best together with Brazil, but there are very good teams in Europe, and we are not above them. We are at the same level and, in some cases, worse.”
We will not see “Batigol” playing football again, but perhaps on a horse, playing polo, a truly Argentinian sport, with the top players. Or playing golf, where he is always on target, just like when he played football.

The Stadium
Name: Stadio Olimpico
Address: Foro Italico, 00194 Rome, Italy
Opened: 1937
Last renovation: 1990
Capacity: 72698
Covered: 100%
Home teams: AS Roma, Lazio, Italy
Internet: www.asroma.it, www.sslazio.it

Olimpico – roast pork and goosebumps
You immediately know when something is going on in the Stadio Olimpico from the smell of the porchetta, the roast pork offered by street sellers before events. Usually, of course, it is Calcio that sees the crowds make their way across the Tiber bridge in their thousands each week to watch Lazio or AS Roma, joint residents of the Olimpico.
The Giallorossi (yellow-reds) of AS Roma, admittedly, like to see themselves as being more than simply joint residents. As a long-standing club from the working-class district of Testaccio, they consider themselves the capital’s true representatives, regarding the light-blue Laziali as no more than little upstarts from the outskirts whom they have kindly allowed in at their discretion.
Regardless of this fan rivalry, both clubs have been allowed to use the venue since May 1953, when the rebuilt stadium was opened with a match between Italy and Hungary. “Stadio dei Centomila” was the name given to the rather pompous edifice at that time because of its 100,000 capacity. Indeed, the arena should have been even bigger, but lack of money eventually scuppered the original plans.
MISUSE
The stadium was constructed during the fascist era. The “Stadium of the Cypresses”, as it was initially known, was to be the centre of the Foro Mussolini sports complex, which was renamed Foro Italico after the Second World War.
However, the arena that was completed in 1932 could hardly have been called a stadium. The stands consisted of grass-covered slopes, which were replaced by paved terraces over a four-year period from 1933 onwards. The stadium held just over 90,000 people at that time. As well as hosting sporting events, it was also misused as a venue for fascist rallies. The next stage of construction began after Adolf Hitler announced his visit of 7 May 1938. However, the construction of a second tier was suspended when the war broke out.
The stadium was given its current name, Stadio Olimpico, during the 17th Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. The existing standing terraces were replaced for the opening and closing ceremonies and for athletics competitions, thus reducing the capacity to 65,000 spectators.
The stadium took on its current form for the 1990 FIFA World Cup™. It was completely renovated in 1989, which meant Lazio and Roma had to move to the smaller Stadio Flaminio for a season. The entire stadium but for the Tevere stand was demolished, rebuilt and completely roofed over, and the curves were brought nine metres inwards. With a capacity of more than 80,000, the Olimpico became Italy’s second-largest stadium after the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.
GERMAN JOY
“A magnificent construction. When the stadium is sold out and the Roma anthem rings out from the terraces, I always get goosebumps,” says Roma icon Francesco Totti. The Curva Sud is home to the Roma supporters and the Curva Nord to Lazio supporters.
Nevertheless, the arena has been anything but a lucky venue for the Giallorossi in finals. They lost the European Cup final on penalties to Liverpool in the stadium in 1984 — seven years after the “Reds” had won the trophy at the same venue against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Italian national team has a better record. At the 1968 and 1980 European Championships and at the 1990 FIFA World Cup™, the Azzurri did not lose once in eight matches, even managing to claim the European Championship title against Yugoslavia in 1968, the one and only time in the tournament’s history that the final has gone to a replay.
However, it is the Germans who have the fondest memories of the Olimpico. They have been crowned both European (in 1980, 2-1 against Belgium) and world champions (1990, 1-0 against Argentina) at the stadium.
What is more, the Stadio Olimpico is a showcase not only for footballers but also music stars. Miles Davis, U2, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Tina Turner and David Bowie have all delivered fantastic concerts here. The stadium is now being spruced up and its capacity reduced to 72,698 for the next major event, which is due to take place in just under a year when the five-star arena hosts the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. What better occasion for residents AS Roma to improve their finals record?

The Stadium
Name: National Stadium
Address: 10-2 Kasumigaokacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0013, Japan
Opened: 1958
Last renovation: 1991
Capacity: 50339
Covered: 10%
Home teams: Japenese national teams, important club matches
Internet: http://www.naash.go.jp/kokuritu/index.html

National Stadium – a “Field of Dreams”
The 60,000-seat National Stadium arose from the ashes of the old Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium in 1958 as part of a bid by Japan to realise its dream of hosting the Summer Olympic Games. The stadium, located in the heart of Tokyo, hosted the Asian Games in 1958 during the campaign to persuade the International Olympic Committee to award the Games to the Japanese capital. Thanks to the success of the Asian Games, Japan was awarded the 1964 Olympic Games.
The Olympics made a big impression on the world of Japanese sport, and football was no exception. The Japanese Olympic football team did well to reach the quarter-final in 1964 and went on to clinch the bronze medal four years later in Mexico.
The achievement of winning an Olympic medal at football did a lot to boost the domestic game, and the stadium served as the venue for the final of the Emperor’s Cup (the Japanese FA Cup), the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup 1993. From 1980-2004, the former version of the FIFA Club World Cup was held there annually, showcasing spectacular dramas and world-class performances by the champions of Europe and South America.
“WHERE IS THE VENUE?”
One of the more memorable contests was the 1985 Toyota Cup between Juventus and Argentinos Juniors. Juventus midfielder Michel Platini came close to scoring one of the game’s most beautiful goals ever in the 68th minute when he outwitted a defender by skilfully controlling the ball with his chest and his right foot before firing into the net. But the referee spotted an offside and the goal was disallowed.
The French star lay on the pitch, resting his head in his hands in disgust. Juventus went on to win 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw and Platini was named “Man of the Match”. The picture of Platini looking forlorn not only highlighted his disappointment, but also drew attention to the state of the pitch at the National Stadium, which was worn and brown when it should have been lush and green.
Another year, a club official from one of the Toyota Cup finalists asked the organisers after training at the stadium: “So, where is the venue for tomorrow’s final?” Criticism from the Toyota Cup teams prompted the stadium officials to look into ways of keeping the grass green during the dry winter months.
“The Toyota Cup was a key turning point for us,” says Shigeru Watanabe, head of the National Stadium’s Sports Turf department, which is part of the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health. The 49-year-old has put a lot of work into pitch improvements at the National Stadium. He and his senior colleagues eventually found a way of keeping the pitch in shape and, following the World Athletic Championships in 1991, they introduced a winter overseeding method using two types of grass seeds. The improvements in the condition of the pitch could be seen when the inaugural J.League match was played on 15 May 1993.
When Japan announced its venues for the co-hosted 2002 FIFA World Cup™, one of the most frequently asked questions was why the National Stadium was not on the list. Limited parking space and the noise that would affect neighbouring residential areas were cited as potential problems and Tokyo was not included as a venue for the FIFA World Cup™.
MANY DREAMS LEFT
Since 2005, however, the National Stadium — now ‘with a reduced capacity of 50,339 — has served as one of the venues for the FIFA Club World Cup and is preparing for that role again in December. “These matches are when our work is evaluated,” Watanabe said. “Since our work appears on television to viewers across the country and the world, it encourages us in our efforts.”
As several stadiums were built around the country ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, the National Stadium no longer has to worry about overuse as it did before. Last year, the stadium hosted 45 football matches — a sharp decline from a decade earlier — and 37 track-and-field events, in addition to three rugby union matches. A limited number of music concerts are also staged at the stadium, which features a museum, library and gym within its walls. “Because we host a lot fewer matches these days, we cannot make any excuses for the condition of the pitch,” noted Watanabe. “We have to offer the best conditions at all times.” The National Stadium enjoys a high profile in Japan and beyond and continues to be regarded as the “Field of Dreams” for many footballers. Even at 50, it still has many dreams left to fulfil.