Ariel Ortega was a mercurial Argentine playmaker whose dribbling and imagination made him one of the most watchable talents of his generation. Small, quick and unpredictable, he could unlock defences with a burst of improvisation.
He was adored at River Plate, where his flair illuminated some of the club’s most successful years, and he represented Argentina at the highest level despite a career punctuated by moments of volatility.