Argentina 5-0 Jamaica: Batistuta Hat-Trick in 10 Minutes 1998

# Argentina 5-0 Jamaica: Ten Minutes of the God of War

June 21, 1998. Paris, France. World Cup group stage. Argentina vs Jamaica. Gabriel Batistuta — 'Batigol' — scored three goals in ten minutes during this match. The first: a header from a corner. The second: a swivelling volley from the edge of the box. The third: a thunderous penalty. Batistuta only had one mode of shooting: full power. He never placed his shots. The goalkeeper knew he would blast it, but still couldn't save it — because the ball was too fast.

Years later, a Russian band called Bely Orel wrote a song about this match: Argentina 5-0 Jamaica. The lyrics go: "Argentina 5-0 Jamaica / Batistuta scored three goals / Jamaica's goalkeeper is crying / But no one can hear him / Because the stadium is too loud." The song became so popular in Russia that even people who don't speak Russian can hum the chorus. When Batistuta was asked about it, he laughed: "I don't understand the lyrics, but the melody is quite nice. This is probably the strangest but coolest honour a footballer could have — a Russian pop song about you."