Ortega Back……Again
Filed under: Argentina
Ariel “Burrito” Ortega joined River for the third time in his career. After spending time at Independiente Rivadavia of the second divison he re-joined his old teammates at this morning’s practice.
Although he left under a rash of disciplinary and personal problems River Plate’s Head coach Pepe Gorosito said “Ariel will always have the doors to the club open to him”.
Ortega stated “For me, it’s like I never left”.
Image via Ole
4th time actually. as for the disciplinary and personal problems… he is an alcoholic and has not been able to recover. even though he is a legend in River Plate, they are throwing away their money. he’s like the Paul Gascoigne of Argentina.
It’s no secret that El Burrito has fought (and most of the time lost) alcoholism for some time. As an argentine and “gallina” I’ve enjoyed watching Orteguita’s style throughout the years, both in River and on the national team (can never forget the head butt to Van der Saar during the ‘98 WC quarter final.) You have to wonder about River’s intentions though, bringing back someone who represents River’s past. They need to invest in the club’s future and it’s unlikely that Orteguita will produce his best level of play for too much longer, all the while struggling to remain sober. And while they’re at it, River should work on fixing the field at el Monumental…they had to spray-paint it green to cover up rough patches during the Col-Arg qualifier 2 weeks ago.