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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Argentina soccer star Gabriel
Batistuta is retiring, ending a career in which he became the
nation's career scoring leader with 56 goals in 77 games. A former Fiorentina and AS Roma standout, the 36-year-old
striker released a statement Sunday saying he was ending his
career. Plagued by knee injuries, he announced Saturday he was
ending his contract prematurely with Al-Arabi, where he moved in
2003 after playing briefly with Inter Milan. "I'm retiring for good," Batistuta said in a statement from
Doha, Qatar, where he has played the last year-and-a-half for
Qatari club Al-Arabi. Batistuta, who retired from Argentina's national team three
years ago, played on World Cup teams in 1994, '98, and 2002. He
also led Argentina to Copa America titles in 1991 and '93. Batistuta debuted in 1988 in Argentina's first division with
Newell's Old Boys, joining River Plate a year later before starring
at Boca Juniors in 1990, where he quickly caught the attention of
European clubs with his goal-scoring prowess. He signed with Italy's Fiorentina in 1991 and led the team to
the Italian Cup title in 1996. He moved to AS Roma in 2000, helping the team win the league
championship in his first season. In 2003, he played briefly at
Inter Milan before deciding to wind down his career in Qatar, where
last season he was the league's leading scorer with 25 goals.
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