- published: 23 Sep 2008
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Arnaldo Ariel Ortega (born 4 March 1974) is an Argentine football attacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito" ("The Little Donkey"), thus he is called "Burrito Ortega".
Ortega's previous clubs include Fenerbahçe, Parma, Sampdoria, Valencia, and Newell's Old Boys. 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 is well known for his pace, ability and skills from dead ball situations, ball trickery, clever body feints and lobbed shots. At his prime he was one of the best dribblers in the world. Along with his skills, Ortega is infamously temperamental.
Ortega left Argentina in 1996. He played 1½ 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 team-mate 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 5.5 million dollars.