Roberto Ayala
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Roberto Fabián Ayala | ||
Date of birth | 14 April 1973 | ||
Place of birth | Paraná, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
Youth career | |||
Ferro Carril Oeste | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1991–1993 | Ferro Carril Oeste | 72 | (1) |
1993–1995 | River Plate | 40 | (0) |
1995–1998 | Napoli | 87 | (1) |
1998–2000 | Milan | 24 | (0) |
2000–2007 | Valencia | 188 | (9) |
2007–2010 | Zaragoza | 72 | (4) |
2010–2011 | Racing Club | 16 | (0) |
Total | 499 | (15) | |
International career | |||
1994–2007 | Argentina | 115 | (7) |
Medal record | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Roberto Fabián Ayala (locally [roˈβeɾto faˈβjan aˈʒala]; born 14 April 1973), nicknamed El Ratón (English: "The Mouse"), is an Argentine former footballer who played as a centre-back for the Argentina national team, as well as Valencia and Real Zaragoza in Spain, Milan and Napoli in Italy and River Plate in his native Argentina.
Regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation, he stood out for his leadership and ability in the air throughout his career.[1] Ayala captained the Argentina in a record 63 matches.[2] He played in three FIFA World Cups and made a total of 115 international appearances, behind only Javier Mascherano, Javier Zanetti and Lionel Messi in terms of international appearances. He inherited the nickname El Ratón from the Argentine 1974 World Cup player Rubén Ayala, although they are not related.
Club career
Early career in Argentina
Ayala began his career in his native Argentina, playing for Ferro Carril Oeste. After three seasons, he moved to River Plate where his good form attracted the attention of clubs in Europe.
Move to Europe
Parma, Napoli and Milan
Italian side Parma brought the Argentine defender to Europe. However, the club, having already used their quota of three non-EU players, loaned him to Napoli, who purchased 50% of his rights on a co-ownership deal. Ayala was bought by Milan at the end of the 1997–98 season and played there for two seasons until Valencia purchased him for £6.25 million.
Valencia
After signing with Valencia in the summer of 2000, Ayala made 275 appearances during a seven-year spell at the club.[3]
On 24 September 2000, Ayala made his debut for Valencia in a 3–0 La Liga win over Numancia.[4] He soon established himself as a first choice central defender for Los Che and started alongside compatriot Mauricio Pellegrino in the 2001 UEFA Champions League final, where Valencia lost 5–4 to Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout.[5] He was later named best defender for the 2000–01 tournament.[6]
The following season, Ayala was part of the Valencia team that won the 2001–02 La Liga title. He scored the opening goal of a 2–0 defeat of Málaga which secured the championship on 5 May 2002.[7] In 2003–04, Valencia again won the La Liga title and beat Marseille 2–0 in Gothenburg to win the UEFA Cup.[4]
During the 2004–05 season, injuries kept Ayala from much of the La Liga campaign as well as the UEFA Super Cup victory over Porto.
During his time with Valencia, he was widely regarded as one of the finest central defenders in the world and is considered to be one of the club's all-time legends.[4]
Villarreal and Real Zaragoza
In August 2006, Ayala was not offered a new contract by sporting director Amedeo Carboni. On 7 February 2007, he announced he would join regional rivals Villarreal at the end of the season, however before having played for Villarreal, he joined Real Zaragoza on a three-year deal on 14 July 2007.[8] The buy-out clause in his contract with Villarreal was €6 million (£4.8 million) which was paid in full by Real Zaragoza.
On 3 May 2008, Ayala scored his first goal for Real Zaragoza in the 94th minute against Deportivo de La Coruña to lead Zaragoza to a 1–0 victory.[9] Zaragoza, however, were relegated to the Segunda División. On 22 November 2008, Ayala scored his second goal for Zaragoza, in the 73rd of a 3–0 win over Eibar. On 29 February 2009, he scored his third goal coming in the 54th minute against Real Murcia as Zaragoza won the match 4–1.
In January 2010, Ayala's contract with Zaragoza was terminated by mutual consent.
Racing Avellaneda
On 2 February 2010, Argentine side Racing Club signed Ayala on a free transfer.[10]
International career
Ayala made his debut for Argentina on 16 November 1994 against Chile under coach Daniel Passarella.
Ayala played for Argentina at the 1996 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal. He played for Argentina in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was a non-playing squad member in the 2002 competition due to a last minute injury moments before their first match against Nigeria. He was then selected as an over-age player as Argentina won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Ayala played an integral part in the Argentine squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played brilliantly throughout the tournament and was picked as a member of the All Star Team. In the quarter-final against Germany, he scored a header that gave Argentina the 1–0 lead, although his side lost the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, with Ayala's spot kick being saved by Jens Lehmann.
On 30 May 2006, In a friendly match against Angola, Ayala earned his 100th cap for Argentina.[11]
One of the best defenders in Argentina's history, on 7 February 2007 Ayala became the most capped player of the national team (most as captain), beating his friend Diego Simeone, in a friendly victory 1–0 against France played in the Stade de France in Paris.
On 5 June 2007, in a friendly against Algeria, Ayala captained Argentina for a record 58th international, having equalled Diego Maradona's mark of 57 in the 1–1 draw against Switzerland in Basel on 2 June.[12]
On 17 July 2007, after playing in the 2007 Copa América final against Brazil, during which he scored an own goal, Ayala announced his retirement from international football.[13] Ayala stated, "it has nothing to do with what happened in the final of the Copa America."[13] Javier Zanetti took over from him as captain.
Managerial career
On 30 December, Ayala retired from professional football and became Racing Avellaneda's manager.[14]
Style of play
Regarded as one of the best and most accomplished defenders of his generation, Ayala was mainly known for his ability in the air and tenacious tackling, and also stood out for his leadership and consistency throughout his career. A complete defender, he was also noted for his speed, ability on the ball, and passing accuracy as a centre-back.[1][15]
Personal life
Ayala is married to Veronica, and has four children: Francisco, Sofía, Pilar and Martina.[citation needed]
Career statistics
Club
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1991–92 | Ferro Carril Oeste | Primera División | 18 | 0 | ||||||||
1992–93 | 36 | 0 | ||||||||||
1993–94 | 18 | 1 | ||||||||||
1993–94 | River Plate | Primera División | 16 | 0 | ||||||||
1994–95 | 24 | 0 | ||||||||||
Italy | League | Coppa Italia | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
1995–96 | Napoli | Serie A | 29 | 0 | ||||||||
1996–97 | 30 | 1 | ||||||||||
1997–98 | 28 | 0 | ||||||||||
1998–99 | Milan | Serie A | 11 | 0 | ||||||||
1999–00 | 13 | 0 | ||||||||||
Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Supercopa de España | Europe | Total | |||||||
2000–01 | Valencia | La Liga | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 2 | 38 | 3 |
2001–02 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
2002–03 | 31 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
2003–04 | 30 | 1 | ||||||||||
2004–05 | 17 | 0 | ||||||||||
2005–06 | 23 | 2 | ||||||||||
2006–07 | 29 | 2 | ||||||||||
2007–08 | Real Zaragoza | La Liga | 33 | 1 | ||||||||
2008–09 | Segunda División | 26 | 3 | |||||||||
2009–10 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | |||||||||
Total | Argentina | 112 | 1 | |||||||||
Italy | 111 | 1 | ||||||||||
Spain | 260 | 13 | ||||||||||
Career total | 468 | 15 |
Correct as of 14 June 2009
International
Argentina national team | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
1994 | 3 | 0 |
1995 | 14 | 0 |
1996 | 6 | 0 |
1997 | 7 | 0 |
1998 | 13 | 1 |
1999 | 12 | 1 |
2000 | 11 | 1 |
2001 | 8 | 0 |
2002 | 1 | 0 |
2003 | 6 | 0 |
2004 | 10 | 1 |
2005 | 8 | 2 |
2006 | 7 | 1 |
2007 | 9 | 0 |
Total | 115 | 7 |
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 February 1998 | Mendoza, Argentina | Romanian League | 2–1 | Unofficial Friendly[17] |
2 | 7 September 1999 | Porto Alegre, Brazil | Brazil | 2–4 | Friendly |
3 | 26 April 2000 | Maracaibo, Venezuela | Venezuela | 4–0 | World Cup 2002 Qualifying |
4 | 13 July 2004 | Piura, Peru | Uruguay | 4–2 | Copa América 2004 |
5 | 12 November 2005 | Geneva, Switzerland | England | 2–3 | Friendly |
6 | 16 November 2005 | Doha, Qatar | Qatar | 3–0 | Friendly |
7 | 30 June 2006 | Berlin, Germany | Germany | 1 – 1 (2–4 PS) | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
International
Winner
Club
River Plate
Winner
- Apertura: 1994
Milan
Winner
Valencia
Winner
Individual
Winner
- South American Team of the Year: 1994[18]
- UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year: 2000–01[19]
- European Sports Media Team of the Year: 2003–04[20]
- 2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team[21]
References
- ^ a b "Ultime notizie su Roberto Ayala" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. 6 June 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Messi inspires Argentina to 4–3 win over Algeria". Chinadaily.com.cn. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Ayala". Valencia CF. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ a b c "15 years of Ayala's debut with VCF". Valencia CF. 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Valencia". The Guardian. 24 May 2001.
- ^ "Champions League final runners-up XI: The best players never to win it". Sky Sports. 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Rafa Benítez: 10 key wins in new Newcastle United manager's career". The Guardian. 12 March 2016.
- ^ "Ayala será jugador del Real Zaragoza". www.realzaragoza.com. 14 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
- ^ "Zaragoza put an end to Ayala saga". www.uefa.com. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
- ^ "Roberto Ayala llegó a Argentina para incorporarse a Racing Club".
- ^ "Centurion Ayala eyes main prize". www.fifa.com. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
- ^ "Messi inspires Argentina to 4–3 win over Algeria". China Daily. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Ayala: "Mi ciclo en la Selección está terminado"".
- ^ 26, Diario. "Roberto Ayala se retiró del fútbol".
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has numeric name (help) - ^ "Roberto Ayala". BBC Sport. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ "Roberto Fabián Ayala – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ International Matches 1998 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
- ^ "South American Team of the Year". RSSSF. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "UEFA Club Football Awards". UEFA.com. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ Karel Stokkermans (14 March 2007). "ESM XI". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "France, Italy dominate World Cup all-star squad". CBC. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
External links
- Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI Template:Es icon
- Argentine footballers
- Argentina international footballers
- Association football central defenders
- Association football sweepers
- A.C. Milan players
- Ferro Carril Oeste footballers
- River Plate footballers
- S.S.C. Napoli players
- Valencia CF players
- Real Zaragoza players
- Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers
- La Liga players
- Serie A players
- Olympic footballers of Argentina
- Olympic gold medalists for Argentina
- Olympic silver medalists for Argentina
- Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- 2002 FIFA World Cup players
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- 1995 King Fahd Cup players
- 1995 Copa América players
- 1999 Copa América players
- 2004 Copa América players
- 2007 Copa América players
- People from Paraná, Entre Ríos
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Argentine people of Basque descent
- FIFA Century Club
- Argentine expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Italy
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Argentine Primera División players
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Argentine expatriates in Italy
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Olympic medalists in football
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Argentina
- Pan American Games medalists in football