Ariel Ortega

Beginnings in Argentina

Ortega began his professional football career in 1991 with Argentine club River Plate. With the club, he won the Primera División 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 before being signed by Sampdoria in 1998 for 23 billion Italian lire (£8 million), replacing Juan Sebastián Verón. After the club was relegated to Serie B, Ortega joined Parma, rejoining national and former club teammate Hernán Crespo, replacing Verón 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 the unpaid 12 billion lire transfer fees of Crespo (the 10% of the transfer fees to Lazio). Claudio Husaín also joined the club. River Plate acquired 50% registration rights of Ortega for a reported 5.5 million dollars. While, in Parma annual filing to Italian government, Ortega was sold for eleven billion lire.

Fenerbahçe and ban

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. 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…

Ortega was included in the squad for the 1994 World Cup. His debut in the starting eleven occurred on 3 July 1994 when Argentina was knocked out of the competition by Romania. He also reached the final of the 1995 King Fahd Cup with Argentina, and he won a Silver Olympic medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Ortega was handed the number 10 shirt for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he was expected to carry the mantle of the team's playmaker, 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 against the Netherlands. Ortega received a second yellow card for head-butting Dutch goalkeeper Edwin 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 the 2002 World Cup. Ortega missed a penalty in the last match against Sweden, 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 the Argentina national first-team squad, but had to miss the friendly match against Ghana due to an injury he picked up during the weekend in the Argentine…

Ortega was known for his pace, mobility, dribbling ability, set-piece delivery, ball control, body feints, and chipped finishes. During his prime, he was widely regarded as one of the world's finest dribblers, and was described by FIFA as "the king of the dribble". A classic Argentine enganche, he was primarily deployed as an attacking midfielder, but he also operated effectively as a right winger during his early career and as a supporting forward. He was recognized for his vision and passing range, which led to early comparisons with Diego Maradona. Revered by River Plate fans who nicknamed him El Mas Grande (The Greatest), his playing style was characterized by a combination of spectacular skill, creativity, and a combative nature on the pitch. However, Ortega's career was also marked by disciplinary issues and inconsistency, and some commentators felt that he did not fully realize the potential he had displayed early in his career.

Club

International

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