Ariel Ortega facts for kids
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Ortega in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Arnaldo Ariel Ortega | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 March 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ledesma, Jujuy, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | Atlético Ledesma | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2010 | Argentina | 88 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Arnaldo Ariel Ortega (born on March 4, 1974) is a famous Argentine former footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder, which means he helped create goals from the middle of the field. People often called him "El Burrito," which means "The Little Donkey."
Ariel Ortega started his professional football journey with River Plate in Argentina in 1991. He played there for many years, returning several times throughout his career. He also played for big clubs in Europe, like Valencia in Spain and Parma and Sampdoria in Italy. He even played for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. Ortega was also a key player for the Argentina national team. He represented his country in three FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1994, 1998, and 2002. He also helped Argentina win a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Argentina
Ortega began his exciting football career in 1991 with River Plate in Argentina. He quickly became a star player. With River Plate, he helped his team win the Primera División (Argentina's top league) four times: in 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1996.
In 1996, he also helped River Plate win the Copa Libertadores. This is one of the biggest club tournaments in South America. Later that year, his team played in the 1996 Intercontinental Cup final but lost to Juventus.
Playing in Europe
In 1996, Ortega moved to Europe to play for Valencia in Spain. He played there for about a year and a half. After that, he moved to Italy and joined Sampdoria in 1998.
When Sampdoria was moved down to a lower league, Ortega joined Parma, another Italian club. At Parma, he played alongside his friend and former teammate, Hernán Crespo. After a season, he returned to his first club, River Plate, in Argentina.
Time with Fenerbahçe
In May 2002, Ortega joined Fenerbahçe, a big club in Turkey. He quickly became an important player for the team, scoring 5 goals in 14 matches.
However, in April 2003, Ortega did not return to Fenerbahçe after playing for his national team. Because of this, he was not allowed to play football for a period of time. He was suspended until December 2003. After this, he did not have a club for a while.
Back in Argentina
In 2004, Ortega was able to play football again. He joined Newell's Old Boys in Argentina. He was invited by his friend Américo Gallego, who was the coach there. They won the Apertura 2004 title together.
In June 2006, Ortega returned to his beloved first team, River Plate. He played there for several more years. In 2007, he scored a very exciting goal in the last minute of a game against Quilmes, helping River Plate win.
Later, he was loaned to another team, Independiente Rivadavia, in 2008. He played there for a season before returning to River Plate in 2009. In a friendly match, he scored a fantastic goal against Everton from England. He also scored amazing goals in the Argentine league, including a lobbed goal against Chacarita Juniors and a last-minute equalizer against Estudiantes.
In 2011, he was loaned to Defensores de Belgrano. He continued to play until 2012, when he was expected to join Chilean Primera División club Unión San Felipe.
International Career
Ortega was chosen to play for Argentina in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. His first game as a starter in the World Cup was on July 3, 1994, when Argentina was knocked out by Romania. He also played in the final of the 1995 King Fahd Cup with Argentina.
He won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. This was a great achievement for him and his team.
For the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Ortega wore the famous number 10 shirt. He was expected to be a key player, creating chances for his team. He played very well in the early games. However, in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, he was sent off. This happened after he got into an argument with the Dutch goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. Soon after, the Netherlands scored the winning goal, and Argentina was out of the tournament.
Ortega also played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In their last match against Sweden, Ortega missed a penalty kick. Even though Hernan Crespo scored from the rebound, Argentina was eliminated from the tournament in the first round.
In 2009, Ortega was called up to the Argentina national team again. He was also called up in April 2010 for a match against Haiti. He started that game, showing his long career with the national team.
Style of Play
Ariel Ortega was a very creative football player. He was known for his amazing speed and quick movements. He was also excellent at dribbling the ball, using clever moves and feints to get past defenders. He was also good at taking shots from dead ball situations and making lobbed shots over the goalkeeper.
Many people thought he was one of the best dribblers in the world during his best years. He usually played as an attacking midfielder. This role allowed him to be an effective playmaker because he had great vision and could pass the ball very well. Because of his skills, some people even compared him to the legendary player Diego Maradona.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 1991–92 | Primera División | 14 | 1 | – | – | – | 14 | 1 | |||
| 1992–93 | 27 | 5 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 34 | 6 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 29 | 4 | – | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 8 | |||
| 1994–95 | 25 | 7 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 33 | 8 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 23 | 7 | – | 22 | 3 | – | 45 | 10 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 16 | 6 | – | 3 | 0 | – | 19 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 134 | 30 | — | 44 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 185 | 39 | |||
| Valencia | 1996–97 | La Liga | 12 | 7 | – | – | – | 12 | 7 | |||
| 1997–98 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 9 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 9 | ||||
| Sampdoria | 1998–99 | Serie A | 27 | 8 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 31 | 9 | ||
| Parma | 1999–2000 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| River Plate | 2000–01 | Primera División | 27 | 9 | – | 12 | 3 | – | 39 | 12 | ||
| 2001–02 | 29 | 14 | – | 10 | 2 | – | 39 | 16 | ||||
| Total | 56 | 23 | — | 22 | 5 | – | 78 | 28 | ||||
| Fenerbahçe | 2002–03 | Süper Lig | 14 | 5 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 20 | 5 | ||
| Newell's Old Boys | 2004–05 | Primera División | 24 | 5 | — | – | – | 24 | 5 | |||
| 2005–06 | 29 | 6 | — | 7 | 0 | – | 36 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 11 | — | 7 | 0 | – | 60 | 11 | ||||
| River Plate | 2006–07 | Primera División | 18 | 4 | — | 3 | 0 | – | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | 26 | 4 | — | 9 | 2 | – | 35 | 6 | ||||
| Independiente Rivadavia (loan) | 2008–09 | Primera B Nacional | 25 | 4 | — | – | – | 25 | 4 | |||
| River Plate | 2009–10 | Primera División | 22 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | 16 | 1 | — | – | — | 16 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 82 | 12 | — | 14 | 2 | – | 96 | 14 | ||||
| All Boys (loan) | 2010–11 | Primera División | 12 | 0 | — | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||
| Def. Belgrano (loan) | 2011–12 | Primera B Metropolitana | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 480 | 109 | 9 | 1 | 100 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 597 | 126 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 16 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 13 | 5 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 88 | 17 | |
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ortega goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 December 1994 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 January 1995 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Japan |
2–0 | 5–1 | 1995 King Fahd Cup |
| 3 | 20 September 1995 | Madrid, Spain |  Spain |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 24 April 1996 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 2–0 | |||||
| 6 | 9 October 1996 | San Cristóbal, Venezuela |  Venezuela |
1–1 | 5–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 30 April 1997 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 22 April 1998 | Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 14 May 1998 | La Plata, Argentina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 25 May 1998 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  South Africa |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 21 June 1998 | Paris, France |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 5–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 12 | 2–0 | |||||
| 13 | 7 September 1999 | Porto Alegre, Brazil |  Brazil |
2–4 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 14 | 13 October 1999 | La Plata, Argentina |  Colombia |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 26 April 2000 | Maracaibo, Venezuela | Venezuela |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 3–0 | |||||
| 17 | 15 November 2000 | Santiago, Chile |  Chile |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
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
See Also
In Spanish: Ariel Ortega para niños
