Gabriel Amato

Gabriel Omar Amato is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a striker.

Football career

Born in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Amato began his senior career with local Aldosivi. In his first seven seasons as a professional, he represented six clubs, also wearing the shirts of Club de [Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata|Gimnasia LP], Boca Juniors, Independiente, Huracán and River Plate.
In 1996, Amato moved to Spain where he would remain for the better part of following eight years: he started with Hércules, but only scored twice in more than 2,000 minutes of action as his club was relegated from La Liga.
Amato joined Mallorca for the 1997–98 campaign, sharing teams with countrymen Héctor Cúper, Óscar [Alcides Mena|Óscar Mena] and Carlos Roa as the team – freshly promoted to the top level – overachieved for a final third position in the league table with him as its top scorer. The Balearic Islands side also 1998 [Copa del Rey Final|reached the final] of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, where he assisted Jovan Stanković in the 1–1 equalizer and also converted his penalty shootout attempt, but in an eventual loss.
In-between his stint in the country, Amato spent two seasons in the Scottish Premier League with Rangers, signing for £4.2 million. In his first competitive game for Rangers, a remarkable UEFA Cup tie away to League of Ireland side Shelbourne, Amato marked his debut by scoring twice as Rangers came back from 3–0 down to win the match 5–3. He netted 13 times in 45 official contests during his time with the club, winning the title on both occasions and adding the 1999 edition of the Scottish Cup; on 15 May 1999, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 away routing of Motherwell, one of the goals coming through a penalty.
After 2000 [Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|one year] in Brazil with Grêmio, Amato played a further three-and-a-half seasons in Spain. Midway through the 2003–04 season, he left Albacete and joined Banfield, retiring shortly after at the age of 34.