Fall of an Idol: Ortega Leaves River

By: Christian | August 5th, 2008

It began last Friday in the early morning hours, when television images from América TV showed a drunken Ariel Ortega leaving a nightclub in the trendy Palermo district of Buenos Aires. Though obviously impaired, Ortega nonetheless got in the drivers seat of his car and began to pull away, and despite the pleas of some fans who followed him, and sitting next to a “friend” in the front side passenger seat who amazingly declined to take the keys from him, the images caught on tape showed Ortega backing up his car into a gas pump, then driving out onto the street and nearly running a red light.

It was this shameful event that would lead to a chain of events that in a few days would see Ortega at his lowest point since returning to River Plate two years ago, and putting an end to a roller coaster off-season which has seen him holding a very public feud with coach Diego Simeone and club President, Jose Aguilar. And it was a terrible way to see the end of one of Argentina’s brightest players of his generation, who despite his unquestioned talent and the unconditional love bestowed upon him by millions of River fans worldwide, would ultimately choose to end his career at the club where it all began in shame.

After word spread to the River camp and the above images became public, Simeone, who had only recently come to an uneasy truce with Ortega, had decided that enough was enough, and met with members of the club board of directors with a simple objective – to remove Ortega from the squad. The directors agreed, and after a brief meeting, stated the terms of el Burrito’s return to first team action, which demanded that the player seek addiction counseling, at any location in the world of his choosing AND at full cost to the club, before returning to the club.

But what seemed a reasonable offer was not for Ortega. To him, only first team football would do, and if River would not have him, then he would seek a move elsewhere. Late last night, Ortega, again putting the game ahead of his own safety, let the club now that he would be accepting the offer of United Arab Emirates club, Al Ain Sports, which had recently been denied a move from River, in a ten month loan deal worth 500,000.

And so it seems that Ortega, through his own choosing, will finish his career overseas, putting money and football ahead of his own personal demons. Since his return to River in 2006, Ortega has had a very public fight with alcoholism, and one sensed that after this past championship winning season, perhaps the disease had taken its tool. The missed practices, the unsuccessful treatment programs, the behind the scenes fights with Simeone – at some point it would all come to an end. But perhaps most frustrating about Ortega’s decision to leave is that it could have ended so much better.

Imagine it: After winning the 2008 Clausura at home, Ortega meets with Simeone and the board, where it is decided that el Burrito must enter a rehab program before he is again given the captain’s armband. Ortega swallows his pride and agrees, then is rewarded by being allowed to play the final game of the season against Banfield, where the adoring public can chant his name, “Orteeeeeeega” one more time. Then immediately following that match, Ortega gets the help he needs, and Simeone is allowed to do his job and create the team he wants, with no influence from the President or board of directors.

But instead, the soap opera of the past few days is how we will see Ortega’s departure from the club, a spectacle of drunken behavior and selfish decisions. Simeone meanwhile has been unfairly labeled the villain by thousands of River fans who immediately flooded internet chat rooms, calling for his head and the unconditional return of Ortega to the squad. River fans no doubt love their hero; his resume with the club is still impressive, and no one can question that on his day, he was still one of the most dangerous players in the game, and an absolute joy to watch.

Now though Ortega leaves for the deserts of the Middle East, where he will no doubt make a huge payday. Perhaps there, far from the pressures of Argentina, he will at last find the inner peace to face his problem head on, and seek the necessary treatment he needs. We certainly wish him and his family all the best in the world, and will wait to see him once again inside the Monumental. Perhaps it was plain selfishness on Ortega’s part that brought him to this point. Or maybe how the club, the press, and the fans were willing to turn a blind eye to his illness in favor of the game, for the opportunity to see him play just once more. I can only help but think of that famous quote from Jorge Valdano regarding one of Argentina’s other great stars: “For so many years we have told him repeatedly, ‘You’re a god’, ‘You’re a star’ … that we forgot to tell him the most important thing: ‘You’re a man’.”