Ariel Ortega

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

Ariel Ortega first played for Club Atletico River Plate on 14 December 1991 and until 1996 and returned in 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11. Ortega has also played for Spanish club Valencia, Turkish club Fenerbahce and Italian clubs Parma and Sampdoria. A former Argentina international, Ortega played for his country in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Club Career

Beginnings in Argentina

Ortega began his professional football career in 1991 with Argentine club River Plate. With the club, he won the Primera Division in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1996, as well as the Copa Libertadores in 1996. He lost out on the 1996 Intercontinental Cup final to Juventus.

Europe

Ortega left Argentina in 1996. He played 1+1⁄2 seasons for Valencia CF before being signed by Sampdoria in 1998 for 23 billion Italian lire (£8 million), replacing Juan Sebastian Veron. After the club was relegated to Serie B, Ortega joined Parma AC, rejoining national and former club teammate Hernan Crespo, replacing Veron again who left for Lazio. Parma paid Sampdoria 28 billion lire (£9.4 million). However, in the following season he returned to Argentina with River Plate, to compensate unpaid 12 billion lire transfer fees of Crespo. (The 10% of the transfer fees to Lazio) Claudio Husain also joined the club. River Plate acquired 50% registration rights of Ortega for a reported 5.5 million dollars. While, in Parma AC annual filing to Italian government, Ortega was sold for 11 billion lire.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Ариэль Ортега (russian)