The Serie A legend looks unrecognizable after shedding the iconic long locks 17 years after her retirement

A SERIES A legend looks completely unrecognizable after shedding her iconic long locks.

The former player hung up his boots and retired back in 2005.

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But in those 17 years, his love of the sport hasn’t waned when he’s been spotted playing tennis at the ATP Cup in Australia.

The photo, taken in January 2020, shows the series goalscorer watching his compatriots Argentina clash with Spain in Perth.

Look closely and you might spot the goatee—a lighter shade of silver these days.

But the hairdo is a neat short bob – a drastic change from the flowing mane with which he has netted 350 career goals, including 219 in Italy’s top flight.

The mystery man, believe it or not, is Gabriel Batistuta.

Batistuta, now 53, started his career at Newell’s Old Boys – the same club as Lionel Messi – before joining rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors for a year each.

But it was in Italy that he enjoyed the greatest success, where he spent nine seasons with Fiorentina, scoring 203 goals in 331 games.

He joined Roma in 2000 and was on loan at Inter Milan in 2002-03 before ending his club career in Qatar with Al-Arabi.

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Batistuta won a Serie A, a Serie B, the Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italianas, and was top scorer in Italy’s top flight in 1994/95.

The Argentina international scored an impressive 56 goals in 78 caps and won the Copa America twice.

Only Messi, who took his tally in the World Cup final to 98 with two, has more goals for the Albiceleste.

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