Fiorentina was once a respected team in Italy, even in Europe. The factor that made La Viola so fierce in Serie A in that period was the combination of striker Gabriel Batistuta and midfielder Rui Costa.
Batistuta’s duet with Rui Costa began in the 1994/1995 season. At that time Fiorentina only got promoted after the Serie B champions.
In that season Fiorentina coached by Claudio Ranieri. In the early season transfer window, the two-time Italian League champion recruited Rui Costa from Benfica.
Goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and Brazilian defender Marcio Santos, who won the 1994 World Cup, added strength to Fiorentina.
Meanwhile, Batistuta is an old player who also survived when the club was relegated. Batistuta was recruited by Fiorentina from Boca Juniors in 1991.
Fiorentina’s performance in the 1994/1995 season was not too bad, had a few weeks at the top, but had to be in the middle of the season at the end of the season ranked 10th.
However in that season Batistuta became the top score of the Italian League with a collection of 26 goals, while Rui Costa packed nine goals. The combination of the two is buried in the Italian League in that season.
In the following season Fiorentina’s performance improved by being ranked fourth in the final standings of Serie A. However, the number of Batistuta’s goals was not as much as the previous season, as well as Rui Costa’s goals and assists.
However Batistuta’s sharpness up front led Fiorentina to win the Italian Super Cup trophy after overthrowing AC Milan 2-1, and won the Coppa Italia by conquering Atalanta with a 3-0 aggregate victory.
In the next two seasons the ups and downs experienced by Fiorentina. Ranked ninth in the 1996/1997 season and fifth in the 1997/1998 season. There were no trophies in the two seasons.
The reshuffle took place in the Fiorentina squad in the 1998/1999 season. Names like Toldo, Batistuta, Rui Costa, Edmundo bought in 1997 were retained.
Giovanni Trapattoni who became coach of Fiorentina in the 1998/1999 season brought a number of new names: Thomas Repka, Jorg Heinrich, to Guilermo Amor.
The squad made Fiorentina as a new force in Serie A. I Gigliati was named as a candidate for champions with Milan and Lazio. Not only that, Batistuta’s performance with Rui Costa was also increasingly dire for rivals.
The top three teams of the previous season: Juventus, Inter Milan and Udinese were crushed by Fiorentina in the first round. Defending champion Juventus were silenced 0-1, Inter lost 1-3, and Udinese were defeated 0-1.
A total of 18 weeks Francesco Toldo and his friends were at the top of the standings in the 1998/1999 season. That season, Batistuta and Rui Costa made it into the top three deadly duo in Serie A.
Batistuta-Rui Costa is ranked third with a collection of 31 goals (Batistuta 21 goals, Rui Costa 10 goals). Both are under Oliver Bierhoff and Leonardo from Milan with the same number of goals. The best duet belongs to Udinese duo Marcio Amoroso-Roberto Sousa with a score of 33 goals.
Through Batistuta and Rui Costa’s goals Fiorentina are also ranked third in the final standings of Serie A. The 1998/1999 season was the best for Fiorentina in the last two decades. While the combination of Batistuta with Costa is touted as the best duet ever owned by La Viola.
Appearing in the 1999/2000 Champions League made Fiorentina management add strength. Enrico Chiesa and Abel Balbo were brought in from Parma, following Angelo Di Livio from Juventus.
Not enough with Chiesa and Batistuta up front, Fiorentina brought Predrag Mijatovic from Real Madrid.
In the 1999/2000 Champions League, Fiorentina’s move stopped in the second group stage. However, Fiorentina’s squad that season was enough to overwhelm teams like Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United.
The 1999/2000 season was the last for Batistuta at the Artemio Franchi Stadium before moving to AS Roma the following season. One year later it was Rui Costa’s turn to leave for Milan in the 2001/2002 season.
Rui Costa first presented the second Coppa Italia to Fiorentina in the 2000/2001 season after defeating Parma 2-1 on aggregate.
