Roberto Ayala

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This article is about the Argentine footballer. For the Mexican footballer Roberto Hernández Ayala, see Roberto Hernández (Mexican footballer). For the station, see Roberto Ayala railway station.

Roberto Ayala
Ayala in 2018
Personal information
Full name Roberto Fabián Ayala[1]
Date of birth (1973-04-14) 14 April 1973 (age 52)
Place of birth
Paraná
, Argentina
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Argentina (field assistant)[2]
Youth career
Ferro Carril Oeste
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1993 Ferro Carril Oeste 73 (1)
1993–1995 River Plate 41 (0)
1995–1998
Napoli
 87 (1)
1998–2000
Milan
 24 (0)
2000–2007 Valencia 187 (9)
2007–2010 Real Zaragoza 74 (4)
2010–2011 Racing Club 15 (0)
Total 501 (15)
International career
1996 Argentina U23 6 (0)
2004 Argentina Olympic (O.P.) 6 (0)
1994–2007 Argentina 116[3] (7)
Managerial career
2019- Argentina (assistant)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Argentina (as player)
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Team
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata Team
Representing  Argentina (as assistant manager)
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2022 Qatar
Copa América
Winner 2021 Brazil
Winner 2024 United States
Third place 2019 Brazil
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Winner 2022 England
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Fabián Ayala (

Napoli in Italy, and Ferro Carril, River Plate and Racing Club
in his native Argentina.

Regarded as one of the best defenders of all time, he stood out for his leadership and ability in the air throughout his career in spite of his small stature as a centre back.[4] Ayala captained Argentina in a record 63 matches.[5] 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.

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

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.

2001 UEFA Champions League final, where Valencia lost 5–4 to Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout.[8] He was later named best defender for the 2000–01 tournament.[9] 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.[10] In 2003–04, Valencia again won the La Liga title and beat Marseille 2–0 in Gothenburg to win the UEFA Cup.[7] 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.[7]

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.[11] 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

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.[13]

International career

Ayala made his debut for Argentina on 16 November 1994 against Chile under coach Daniel Passarella.

Ayala played for Argentina U23 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 selected as one of the three overage players then Argentina U23 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.[14]

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.[5]

On 17 July 2007, two days after playing in the

2007 Copa América Final, which ended in a 3–0 defeat to Brazil, and during which he scored an own goal, Ayala announced his retirement from international football.[15] Ayala stated, "it has nothing to do with what happened in the final of the Copa América."[15] Javier Zanetti
took over from him as captain.

After retiring

Racing Club

On 30 December, Ayala retired from professional football.[16] On 21 December 2011, Ayala was hired as a football coordinator at Racing Club.[17] In September 2013, a new management arrived, and Ayala was released on 19 September 2013.[18]

Valencia CF

In December 2013, Ayala was hired as a technical director / sport director for Valencia, where he was going to be the responsible for the whole South American area.[19] The role also involved him scouting in that area to find young talents. He left the club in the middle of 2015.[20]

Argentina

On 10 January 2019, Ayala joined the technical staff of the Argentina national football team as a field assistant of manager Lionel Scaloni.[2]

Style of play

Regarded as one of the best and most accomplished defenders of all time, 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.[4][21]

Personal life

Ayala is married to Veronica, and has four children: Francisco, Sofía, Pilar and Martina.[citation needed]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ferro Carril Oeste 1991–92 Primera División 19 0 — — — 19 0
1992–93 36 1 — — — 36 0
1993 18 1 — — 3[a] 0 21 1
Total 73 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 76 1
River Plate
 1994 Primera División 16 0 — — — 16 0
1994–95 25 0 — 12 1 — 37 1
Total 41 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 53 1
Napoli
1995–96
 Serie A 29 0 1 0 — — 30 1
1996–97
 30 1 6 0 — — 36 1
1997–98
 28 0 2 0 — — 30 0
Total 87 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 96 1
Milan
1998–99
 Serie A 11 0 2 0 — — 13 0
1999-00
 13 0 3 0 6 0 — 22 0
Total 24 0 5 0 6 0 0 0 35 0
Valencia 2000–01 La Liga 28 1 2 0 9 2 — 39 3
2001–02 29 2 1 0 7 0 — 37 2
2002–03 31 1 — 12 0 2[b] 0 45 1
2003–04 30 1 5 0 10 0 — 45 1
2004–05 17 0 — — — 17 0
2005–06 23 2 — 6[c] 0 — 29 2
2006–07 29 2 4 0 8 1 — 41 3
Total 187 9 14 0 52 3 2 0 253 12
Villarreal 2006–07 La Liga 0 0 0 0 – – 0
Zaragoza 2007–08 La Liga 33 1 4 0 2 0 — 39 1
2008–09 Segunda División 28 3 — — — 28 3
2009–10 La Liga 13 0 1 0 — — 14 0
Total 74 4 5 0 2 0 0 0 81 4
Racing 2009–10 Primera División 15 0 — — — 15 0
Career total 501 15 34 0 72 4 5 0 609 19
  1. ^ Appearances in the Copa Centenario de la AFA.
  2. ^ Appearances in the Supercopa de España.
  3. Intertoto Cup
    .

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[22]
National team Year Apps Goals
Argentina 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
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ayala goal.
List of international goals scored by Roberto Ayala
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 19 February 1998 Mendoza, Argentina  Romanian League 2–1 Unofficial Friendly[23]
2 7 September 1999 Porto Alegre, Brazil  Brazil 2–4 Friendly
3 26 April 2000 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Venezuela 1–0 4–0 World Cup 2002 Qualifying
4 13 July 2004 Piura, Peru  Uruguay 3–2 4–2 2004 Copa América
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 1–0 1–1 (2–4 PS) 2006 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Player

River Plate

Napoli

Milan

Valencia

Argentina

Individual

Managerial

Argentina (as assistant manager)

See also

References

  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Argentina" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. ^ "AFA rinde homenaje a Messi y Kun Agüero por su récord de partidos". 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Ultime notizie su Roberto Ayala" [Latest news on Roberto Ayala]. Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). 6 June 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Messi inspires Argentina to 4-3 win over Algeria". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Ayala". Valencia CF. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "15 years of Ayala's debut with VCF". Valencia CF. 24 September 2015.
  8. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Champions League final runners-up XI: The best players never to win it". Sky Sports. 6 June 2015.
  10. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Ayala será jugador del Real Zaragoza" [Ayala will be a Real Zaragoza player.]. Real Zaragoza. 14 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  12. ^ "Zaragoza put an end to Ayala saga". UEFA. 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  13. ^ "Roberto Ayala llegó a Argentina para incorporarse a Racing Club" [Roberto Ayala arrived in Argentina to join Racing Club.]. Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Centurion Ayala eyes main prize". FIFA. 29 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
  15. ^ a b "Ayala: "Mi ciclo en la Selección está terminado"" [Ayala: "My time with the National Team is over."] (in Spanish). www.clarin.com. 17 July 2007.
  16. ^ "Roberto Ayala se retiró del fútbol" [Roberto Ayala retired from football.]. www.26noticias.com.ar. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Roberto Ayala es el nuevo coordinador del fútbol de Racing". LA NACION (in Spanish). 21 December 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Por la interna dirigencial, Roberto Ayala dejará de ser el Manager de Racing". El Intransigente (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  19. ^ Confidencial, El (23 December 2013). "Roberto Ayala regresa al Valencia para 'pescar' los nuevos talentos de Sudamérica". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  20. ^ Gary Neville to Valencia: Spanish fans will give latest coach little time to bed in, independent.co.uk, 2 December 2015
  21. ^ "Roberto Ayala". BBC Sport. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Roberto Fabián Ayala – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  23. ^ International Matches 1998 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
  24. ^ "South American Team of the Year". RSSSF. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  25. ^ "UEFA Club Football Awards". UEFA. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  26. ^ Karel Stokkermans (14 March 2007). "ESM XI". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  27. ^ "France, Italy dominate World Cup all-star squad". CBC. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  28. ^ "IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". 26 August 2021.
  29. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Lionel Messi wins first Copa America as Argentina beat Brazil in final". BBC Sport. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Argentina 2-1 Chile: Messi gets first red card in 14 years as Argentina win". BBC Sport. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Italy 0-3 Argentina: Messi and Di Maria shine in impressive Finalissima win". BBC Sport. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
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