Gabriel Batistuta is one of Argentina's legendary players, and he is open to pursuing a coaching career.
Not in his native land, mind you, but rather in the United States.
Batistuta, a former forward who played for Argentina from 1991-2002, said in a recent interview with LaNacion.com that he would jump at the chance to coach in the US if given the opportunity.
"I'd like [to coach] in a league like that of the United States. If they called me, I'd go," Batistuta told LaNacion.com. "It's a beautiful place that meets all the requirements. I'm at a point right now where one is single and not in a relationship. If you stay single for too long, then you won't get married again because you don't want someone telling you what to do or give you a schedule to work around.
"The more time passes, the more picky I get. I would've taken any job at one point, but now I am choosy. I look at the city, study up on it. Truthfully, I have a desire to coach now. "
The 47-year-old acknowledges that he needed time to evaluate whether or not coaching would be a smart decision considering that his managerial career may be constantly compared to his playing days.
"When I finished playing, I was very stressed, not in a good place. You have a bigger name to live up to, but less energy. I had to live up to my name, but every day my legs were more and more worn out. That feeling of exhaustion is going away now. I left the game more than 10 years ago and I want to come back."
Batistuta retired in 2005 after a storied career that saw him play for clubs like Boca Juniors, Fiorentina, and Roma. He was one of the more prolific strikers at club and international soccer levels during his time, and scored 56 times in 78 appearances for Argentina.
The rest of Batistuta's interview with LaNacion.com is plenty entertaining. If you speak Spanish or don't mind Google translate, give it a read. It's worth it.
