The hard player: Ariel Ortega
Ariel Ortega was born on 4 March 1974 in Libertador General San Martín, Argentina. A gifted attacking midfielder, his career is inseparable from River Plate, a club he defended on three separate occasions: 135 matches and 30 goals, then 96 matches and 14 goals, and finally 56 matches and 23 goals – a remarkable loyalty to the Millonario. In between, he wore the colours of Valencia CF in La Liga (33 matches, 9 goals) and Newell’s Old Boys (60 matches, 11 goals).
With the Argentine Olympic team, he played 6 matches and scored 2 goals. Creative and elusive, Ortega embodied an elegant style of Argentine football throughout his career, always with his heart set on River Plate.
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PlayThe medium player: Florent Malouda
Florent Malouda was born on 13 June 1980 in Cayenne, French Guiana. A sharp left winger, he started out at LB Châteauroux (65 matches, 7 goals) before making a real name for himself at EA Guingamp (101 matches, 18 goals), two clubs that laid the foundations of a top-level career.
He truly made his mark at Olympique Lyonnais (193 matches, 33 goals), then crossed the Channel to Chelsea FC, where he accumulated 229 matches and 45 goals. With the French national team, Malouda earned 80 caps and scored 9 goals. He rounded off his career in India with Delhi Dynamos (32 matches, 3 goals).
The easy player: Carlos Valderrama
Carlos Valderrama was born on 2 September 1961 in Santa Marta, Colombia. An attacking midfielder impossible to mistake, he built his career at Deportivo Cali (131 matches, 22 goals) and made his mark in Europe with Montpellier HSC (91 matches, 5 goals), before returning to Colombia with Atlético Junior.
With the Colombian national team, Valderrama earned 111 caps and scored 11 goals, becoming one of the most capped players in his country’s history. He wrapped up his career in MLS with Tampa Bay Mutiny, clocking 76 appearances and keeping his love for the game alive until the very end.