River Plate Turns To Troubled Legend Ariel Ortega During Crisis

During perhaps the toughest stretch in club history, River Plate coach Leonardo Astrada has recalled troubled striker Ariel Ortega to his side.

Ortega has watched ten matches from the stands after he experienced another setback in his fight against alcoholism shortly before River's third match of the season. 

Since then, there has been much speculation that Ortega had played his last match for River.

He was repeatedly being left out by Astrada, a former teammate of Ortega during River's glory years of the 1990s. 

"El Negro," as the coach is known, stated that Ortega had the same chance as every other play to be called up, but would only be used when he felt Ortega was playing better than his teammates. 

There is much speculation that Astrada is either giving in to pressure from the fans, who consider Ortega one of the greatest idols in the clubs history, or turning to No. 10 as a sort of desperation following three straight defeats, all shutouts. 

During his two-month absence, Ortega has shown up late to practice, left early, or simply failed to show up.

His time finally came last Thursday when Astrada placed the former Valencia and Sampdoria man in the first team for the final 25 minutes of practice. 

Surprisingly, Ortega did not make the club's final list, but after an anemic effort against Lanus, Ortega will finally return at El Monumental against Newell's Old Boy of Rosario—a club Ortega briefly played for, leading it to the championship in 2004. 

With fellow legend Marcelo Gallardo out injured and Paraguayan Rodrigo Rojas underperforming, it is likely that Ortega will play as the team's playmaker, or "enganche" as it is known in Argentina. 

Ortega's inclusion may indeed be a roll of the dice, especially from the start.

However, the boost it will give the team and fans could be enough to pull River out of the doldrums. 

This is not the first time that "El Burrito" has been exiled for a long period of time, but he has always, for at least one game, returned better than ever. 

In 2006, with current president Daniel Passarella as manager, Ortega returned after 36 days out to help River rout San Lorenzo 5-0, scoring one of the goals with a sensational lob.

In 2007, Passarella also reinstated La Diez against Quilmes, and Ariel repaid his manager with the only goal of the match. 

The foreshadowing doesn't stop there: The last time River beat Newell's at El Monumental, Ortega found the back of the net in a 3-1 win in 2007. 

Now, Ariel is 36 and he lacks more match fitness than ever but his appearance is a necessary roll of the dice for a River team void of any other ideas.

With relegation looming in the 2010-2011 season (Argentina uses an average system for relegation), it remains to be seen if Ortega can once again save the club he loves so much.

As Astrada eloquently put it, Ortega needs River just as much as River needs Ortega—fans and teammates alike. 

Considered the last great idol, Ortega can do no wrong in the eyes of the River fans. Despite countless drinking incidents and a spell playing in the second division of Argentine football on exile from River, the fans have always welcomed back the Jujuy native.

Tomorrow will be just one more chapter—possibly the last—in the long, glorious, and sometimes tragic history of Ortega with River Plate.

We will find out in a month's time if Ortega does in fact get the storybook ending he deserves.