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 Donkey), thus he is called "Burrito Ortega".

Ariel Ortega first played for Club Atlético River Plate on 14 December 1991 and until 1996 and returned in 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11.

Ortega also played for Spanish club Valencia, Turkish club Fenerbahçe and Italian clubs Parma and Sampdoria.

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.

Ortega scored a controversial goal with his hand, in the 93rd minute, to give River the victory and himself a great comeback.

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.He played against KRC Harelbeke during the Intertoto cup in 1998.

He lost out on the 1996 Intercontinental Cup final to Juventus.

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 Sebastián Verón.

After the club was relegated to Serie B, Ortega joined Parma AC, 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 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 AC annual filing to Italian government, Ortega was sold for 11 billion lire.

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 April 2003 as Ortega had failed to return from international duty since 12 February 2003.

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.

Ortega appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July 2003 but the case was dismissed on 5 November.

Ortega served a 4-month suspension from that day.

After the ban he was without a club.

In 2004, when he could finally come back to football, he joined Newell's Old Boys after he was called by his friend Américo 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 the Apertura 2004.

In June 2006, he went back to his first team River Plate, where he played for about half of the Apertura 2006, before he stopped to begin treatment for alcoholism.

In January 2007, during River's pre-season in Mar 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 to Buenos Aires to resume treatment for his problem.

Coach Daniel Passarella later brought Ortega back, stating he was ready for a comeback.

On 15 March 2007, in a Copa Libertadores 2007 match against LDU 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.

Upon the arrival of Diego 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.

After some controversy and rumours in the winter window of Argentine market, he was loaned to Nacional B side Independiente Rivadavia, signing a one-year contract where a twice a week trip to a Chilean Special Treatment Center for alcoholics 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.