Gabriel Batistuta admits he will be hurt seeing Lionel Messi break his record
Former Argentina international Gabriel Batistuta has admitted that he will be a bit hurt when Lionel Messi breaks his goal-scoring record for the national team. The 47-year-old also told the press that it is just a matter of time before the ‘Number 10’ eventually dismantles his position at the top of the coveted list.
Lionel Messi hasn't been in the thick of form in his recent outings for Barcelona. The 'Little Magician’ has neither found the back of the net nor made any assists in the previous five games for the Catalan club.
Luis Enrique's side will play against Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The 28-year-old will be looking forward to ending his string of mediocre performances and register his 500th goal for the Spanish giants this weekend.
Lionel Messi's performance for the national side is also quite impressive as the Barcelona star has notched up 50 goals for Argentina in 107 competitive appearances.
However for the time being, the former Fiorentina star, Gabriel Batistuta tops the list of highest goal-scorers for Argentina with 56 goals next to his name from 78 games.
Speaking about his record, Batistuta told FoxSports, “I came to be the highest goalscorer of all time without even realising. One day I woke up and I heard I had scored more than Maradona.”
Later, he added, “How could it not hurt me to see that record be broken?”
“It is going to hurt when Messi breaks my record, but we are not talking about being beaten by any terrestrial being,” the 47-year-old explained.
In the same interview, Batistuta reportedly vented his anger at those who claimed that the ‘Little Magician’ doesn't bring his A-game when he wears the blue and white jersey. He told FoxSports, “We cannot say he (Lionel Messi) cannot be bothered (about Argentina).”
While talking about his own future, former Argentina striker admitted that he was contacted by Fiorentina for a coaching offer earlier, which he graciously declined.
Later, he said, “I am now retired, I have moved away from the sport since I left because I would like to take on a serious project and it is difficult to find. For that reason I congratulate the coaches here, they work in an atmosphere that I could not.”
“I was called by Fiorentina, but I am loved there and I do not want to risk that,” Gabriel Batistuta concluded.