Arnaldo Ariel Ortega (born 4 March 1974) is an Argentine former professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito" (The Little Donkey), thus he is called "Burrito Ortega".

Ariel Ortega

Ortega in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Arnaldo Ariel Ortega
Date of birth	(1974-03-04)4 March 1974 (age 51)
Place of birth	Ledesma,Jujuy, Argentina
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder,winger
Youth career
1988–1990	Atlético Ledesma[2]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1996	River Plate	134	(30)
1997–1998	Valencia	32	(9)
1998–1999	Sampdoria	27	(8)
1999–2000	Parma	18	(3)
2000–2002	River Plate	56	(23)
2002–2003	Fenerbahçe	14	(5)
2004–2006	Newell's Old Boys	53	(11)
2006–2012	River Plate	82	(12)
2008–2009	→Independiente (Riv) (loan)	25	(4)
2011	→All Boys (loan)	12	(0)
2011–2012	→Def. Belgrano (loan)	27	(4)
Total		480	(109)
International career
1993–2010	Argentina	88	(17)
Medal record Men'sfootball Representing Argentina Pan American Games 1995 Mar del Plata Team Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ariel Ortega first played forRiver Plate on 14 December 1991 and until 1996 and returned in 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11.^[3] Ortega also played for Spanish clubValencia, Turkish clubFenerbahçe and Italian clubsParma andSampdoria. A formerArgentina international, Ortega played for his country in the1994,1998, and2002 World Cups. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at the1996 Summer Olympics.

Ortega began his professional football career in 1991 with Argentine clubRiver Plate. With the club, he won thePrimera División in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1996, as well as theCopa Libertadores in 1996. He lost out on the1996 Intercontinental Cup final toJuventus.

Ortega left Argentina in 1996. He played1+1⁄2 seasons forValencia before being signed by Sampdoria in 1998 for 23 billionItalian lire (£8 million),^[4] replacingJuan Sebastián Verón. After the club was relegated to Serie B, Ortega joinedParma, rejoining national and former club teammateHernán Crespo, replacing Verón again who left for Lazio. Parma paid Sampdoria 28 billion lire (£9.4 million).^[5] However, in the following season he returned to Argentina withRiver Plate, to compensate the unpaid 12 billion lire transfer fees of Crespo (the 10% of the transfer fees to Lazio).Claudio Husaín also joined the club.^[6] River Plate acquired 50% registration rights of Ortega for a reported 5.5 million dollars.^[7] While, in Parma annual filing to Italian government, Ortega was sold for eleven billion lire.^[8]

In May 2002, Fenerbahçe signed Ortega from River Plate for a fee of US$7,500,000 (US$2,500,000 of which was paid to Parma). Fenerbahçe also bought his image rights for a further US$1,500,000. Ortega signed a 4-year contract.^[9] He was one of the key players of the team, scoring 5 goals in 14 matches.

Fenerbahçe were forced to file a complaint to FIFA in April 2003 as Ortega had failed to return from international duty since 12 February 2003.^[9] In June 2003 the FIFA Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) ordered Ortega to pay Fenerbahçe USD 11,000,000 as compensation for breach of an employment contract and suspended him until 30 December 2003.^[9] Ortega appealed to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport in July 2003 but the case was dismissed on 5 November.^[9] Ortega served a 4-month suspension from that day.^[9] After the ban he was without a club.

In 2004, when he could finally come back to football, he joinedNewell's Old Boys after he was called by his friendAmérico Gallego, who at the time was Newell's' coach. Newell paid an unknown sum to Fenerbahçe as part compensation for what Ortega owed the club. They won theApertura 2004.

In June 2006, he went back to his first teamRiver Plate, where he played for about half of theApertura 2006,^[10] before he stopped to begin treatment foralcoholism. In January 2007, during River's pre-season inMar del Plata, and one day after playing an excellent game in which he scored, he surprised everyone with another alcoholic episode, after which River Plate's doctors suggested to the coach that Ortega should go back toBuenos Aires to resume treatment for his problem.

CoachDaniel Passarella later brought Ortega back, stating he was ready for a comeback. On 15 March 2007, in aCopa Libertadores 2007 match againstLDU Quito, Ortega formed part of River's bench but was not given a chance to play. However, three days later, in a league match versus Quilmes, he came on during the second half to help break the opposing team's defense in a tight 0–0 up to that point. Ortega scored a controversial goal with his hand, in the 93rd minute, to give River the victory and himself a great comeback.

Upon the arrival ofDiego Simeone as head coach of River, Ortega allegedly lost some "protections" he was rumoured to have and, despite being an important part of the team that achieved the Clausura 2008 title, Simeone left him out of the squad for the upcoming season, reasoning his decision on Ortega having several times not come to train as well as some episodes of alcoholism.^[11][12][13] After some controversy^[14] and rumours^[15][16] in the winter window of Argentine market, he was loaned to Nacional B sideIndependiente Rivadavia,^[17] signing a one-year contract where a twice a week trip to a Chilean Special Treatment Center for alcoholics^[18] is one of the clauses. On 1 May 2009. he was let go by Independiente officials. The club decided to terminate his contract in advance. Ortega was on loan from River Plate.On his first game back in River Plate, 25 July 2009, he scored an outstanding chip shot goal to give River a 1–0 victory overEverton of England in Edmonton, Canada during the pre-season. In the 2009 Apertura, Ortega scored a wonder lobbed goal against Chacarita Juniors to give River Plate a 4–3 victory. Later in the tournament, he scored a last minute equalizer against Estudiantes.

In the 2010 Clausura, Ortega started River's first two matches, but suffered another alcoholic relapse and missed the next ten games before returning against Newell's Old Boys in the 13th round of matches.

In 2011, he was loaned to Defensores de Belgrano.

On 8 April 2012,Fox Sports Argentina journalist Juan José Buscalia, confirmed that Ortega would joinChilean Primera División clubUnión San Felipe in June 2012.

Ortega was included in the squad forthe 1994 World Cup. His debut in the starting eleven occurred on 3 July 1994 when Argentina was knocked out of the competition byRomania. He also reached the final of the1995 King Fahd Cup with Argentina, and he won a Silver Olympic medal at the1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Ortega was handed the number 10 shirt for the1998 FIFA World Cup, where he was expected to carry the mantle of the team'splaymaker, and it was his first World Cup as an established star. Despite impressing in the early rounds to be considered a favorite as player of the tournament, Ortega was most notable for his sending-off in the quarter-finals againstthe Netherlands. Ortega received a second yellow card for head-butting Dutch goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar when van der Sar confronted him after a dive in the penalty area, for which Ortega was just getting his first yellow card. Shortly after Ortega's sending-off,Dennis Bergkamp scored the winning goal to make it 2–1, eliminating Argentina.

Ortega was also a member of the squad for the2002 World Cup. Ortega missed a penalty in the last match againstSweden, which was then followed up and converted into the back of the net by Hernan Crespo, nonetheless the result meant that Argentina was knocked out in the first round.

On 24 September 2009, he was recalled to theArgentina national first-team squad,^[19] but had to miss the friendly match against Ghana due to an injury he picked up during the weekend in the Argentine Domestic League.^[20]

In April 2010, 17 years after his Argentina debut, Ortega received a call-up again, this time againstHaiti.^[21] All the players inDiego Maradona's squad were from thePrimera División Argentina. He played the match as starting XI on 5 May.^[22]

A highly creative player with excellent technical ability, Ortega was well known for his pace, mobility,dribbling, and skills fromdead ball situations, as well as his ball trickery, clever bodyfeints, and lobbed shots. At his prime he was regarded as one of the best dribblers in the world; primarily deployed as anattacking midfielder, Ortega was an effectiveplaymaker due to his vision and passing ability, which earned himcomparisons withMaradona as a youth. Along with his skills, Ortega was infamously temperamental, and he was criticised throughout his career for not living up to his potential.^[23]

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ortega goal.

River Plate

• Primera División:1991 Apertura,1993 Apertura,1994 Apertura,1996 Apertura,2002 Clausura,2008 Clausura
• Copa Libertadores:1996

Parma

• Supercoppa Italiana:1999

Newell's Old Boys

• Primera División:2004 Apertura

Argentina

• Pan American Games Gold Medal:1995
• Summer Olympics Silver Medal:1996

Individual

• South American Team of the Year: 1994, 1996, 2001^[28]

• Ariel Ortega –FIFA competition record (archived)
• Ariel Ortega at National-Football-Teams.com
• Ariel Ortega at BDFutbol
• River Plate – Sitio Oficial(in Spanish)