Ariel Ortega

Arnaldo Ariel Ortega (born 4 March 1974) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito" (The Little Donkey), thus he is called Burrito Ortega. After his breakthrough alongside coach Ramón Díaz in the mid-90s, he came to be considered at his peak as one of the best dribblers in the world, to the point that he is the fourth player in World Cup history with more successful dribbles in a single World Cup according to FIFA. Ortega began his career with River Plate and played most of his career there during four separate spells between 1991 and 1996, 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11. With the team, he played 359 competitive matches, scored 81 goals, and won several trophies, including the 1996 Copa Libertadores. In Europe, Ortega played for Valencia in Spain, Parma and Sampdoria in Italy, and Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He also had a two-year period with Newell's Old Boys, as well as three short loans from River Plate at other Argentinian teams towards the end of his career. He retired from professional football in 2012. An Argentina international, Ortega played 88 times and scored 17 goals for his country between 1993 and 2010. He represented them at the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. He also appeared at the 1995 and 1999 Copa Américas, and was a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.