Ortigozawho in 2017 passed through Paraguay at the service of Olimpia, yesterday he played his last game as a professional footballerat the ‘New Gasometer’ in San Lorenzo and with a crowd of fans who bid him farewell in style.
The genius of penalties he leaves, but leaves, in addition to titles and recognition, a couple of unmissable stories with the most great exponents of the balleasy, of the last 20 years, and perhaps (taste through), of all history.
VERSUS CRISTIANO RONALDO
At the time there was talk about the meeting he had San Lorenzo against Real Madrid in the 2014 Club World Cup finaldisputed in Morocco.
In that edition, the Argentine club arrived as champion of the Libertadores and, as was appropriate, in the final of the contest they met the Spanish colossusat that time absolute dominator of world football with the figure of its incomparable star, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
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And, how could it be different, Ortigoza starred in his particular ‘rifi-rafe’ with the Portuguese, not to believe. “I did not speak to him, but I ran one that I beat him in speed, there is the video, look at it, put on Twitter ‘Ortigoza beats Cristiano Ronaldo’, and you’ll seeput the photo, huh, ”he said very spicy in statements collected by Nexo Gol from Argentina.
Against CR7 in the Club World Cup. Photo: Getty.
Ortigoza even asserted that Cristiano didn’t like the insult at all, which seemed like a joke. “I won the race, I stopped her chest, I hooked, she passed by and he grabbed me by the neck”he stated between laughs.
ROMAN’S ROAST
They tell him “the last 10” and was one of the most prodigious figures in Argentina. Juan Román Riquelme occupies a place in the Olympus of South American football and Nestor Ortigoza shared a barbecue with him, hours before containing him in the morning in a game.
The former Albirroja midfielder revealed in an interview with El Gráfico that the meeting with the current vice president of Boca was thanks to a prop from Argentinos Juniors (Club in which Ortigoza and Román were trained, and in which -shortly after- the attacker would retire).
The thing goes like this. The prop of Argentinos was a close friend of both footballers and through him Román “invited several to dinner on a ThursdayOrtigoza explained.
He met the ‘xeneize’ star that Thursday night and that same Sunday San Lorenzo visited the Bombonera, as always, Roman was a headache for the ‘crows’. It was necessary to stop the 10 and it did not matter the way, Ortigoza was in charge.
Ortigoza vs. Richly in the Bombonera. Photo: Getty.
“I couldn’t take it and in one I came running and dribbling, so I planted myself and put my hand out, up (in the face). The referee did not charge anything. ‘What are you doing?’ he said, half angry. ‘What do you want me to do, if I can’t stop you? Or do you prefer that I kick you and injure you?’, I replied”, recalled Ortigoza.
The skirmish did not happen to adults and as good professionals they buried the incident on the field. “Later, he sent me the shirt to the locker room, a crack. I have four Riquelme shirts, they are one of those that I do not change to anyone, “he said.
ONE WITH MESSI
in 2016during an interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nación, Ortigoza recalled the clash between the national teams of Argentina and Paraguay during the Group stage of the Copa América in Chile 2015 (the first of two encounters).
This time the protagonist is another prominent footballer: The then ‘manija’ of Barcelona in Spain, Leo Messitoday in the millionaire French Paris Saint Germain.
That’s how he lived it. “At 2-2, we couldn’t stop the guy (Messi). And look, we Paraguayans are firm, tough, but Messi messed up between 4 or 5 rival legs And we couldn’t stop it! We bumped into each other, we hit each other,” he recounted.
And it was certainly a hard element to put down. The maneuver is still remembered, which ended in an Argentine goal, where the “Flea” affected a clash between Bruno Valdez and Pablo Aguilar. “He’s a kid who has a tied balloon, slows you down from 100 to 0 and takes you from 0 to 100 in 20 centimeters!”
In pursuit of Messi. Photo: Getty.
Until the midfielder approached the striker. “Then, in a play the game stopped, I think they were attending to one, and I stayed next to him” and added: ‘The truth is that you are from ‘play’, you are good, how do you play, son of a bitch !’, I told. He laughed and replied with a ‘thank you’.
Ortigoza admitted that he asked for the jacket and that Messi sent it to him through Luis Segura, president of the AFA.
YOUR STRENGTH
One of Ortigoza’s most notable qualities throughout his career was undoubtedly his effectiveness on penalties: from 60 executed, 56 ended in goal: two were saved, another hit the crossbar and the other outside. Also, of the 11 he kicked in definitions, none missed.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The Paraguayan soccer player won, in addition to the Clausura 2010 tournament with Argentinos and the Libertadores 2014 with San Lorenzo, the 2013 Initial Tournament and the 2015 Argentine Super Cup with Ciclón de Boedo and in 2018 the Argentine Cup with Rosario Central, where he played 37 games. He also lifted a trophy in the United Arab Emirates, winning the First Division championship with the Emirates Club. He was named Best Player of the final of the Liberators 2014 and a member of the All-America Dream Team that year.
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With the Paraguayan national teamOrtigoza disputed the remembered World Cup in South Africa 2010the Copa America in Argentina 2011 (where he scored a goal and Paraguay reached the final, which they lost to Uruguay) and that of Chile in 2015 (fourth place).
WHAT’S COMING
It is possible that “Orti” is still linked to football and maybe with San Lorenzo, although in a conference ruled out that he will be part of a list in the elections to be held this year in the institution: “I have the technical course donebut still I have not decided what I am going to do. In what is related to I like football, especially coordinating”, he finished.
