Editing Roberto Ayala

{{Short description|Argentine footballer (born 1973)}}
{{about|the Argentine footballer|the Mexican footballer Roberto Hernández Ayala|Roberto Hernández (Mexican footballer)|the station|Roberto Ayala railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Roberto Ayala
| image = 018 Summer Youth Olympics (30382602628) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Ayala in 2018
| fullname = Roberto Fabián Ayala<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2006/PDF/FWC_2006_SquadLists.pdf |title=2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Argentina |publisher=FIFA |page=2 |date=21 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610174527/https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2006/PDF/FWC_2006_SquadLists.pdf |archive-date=10 June 2019}}</ref>
| height = 1.77 m
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1973|04|14}}
| birth_place = [[Paraná, Argentina|Paraná]], Argentina
| currentclub = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] (field assistant)<ref name=arg/>
| position = [[Defender (association football)#Centre-back|Centre-back]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = [[Ferro Carril Oeste]]
| years1 = 1991–1993
| clubs1 = [[Ferro Carril Oeste]]
| caps1 = 73
| goals1 = 1
| years2 = 1993–1995
| clubs2 = [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]]
| caps2 = 41
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1995–1998
| clubs3 = [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]]
| caps3 = 87
| goals3 = 1
| years4 = 1998–2000
| clubs4 = [[A.C. Milan|Milan]]
| caps4 = 24
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2000–2007
| clubs5 = [[Valencia CF|Valencia]]
| caps5 = 187
| goals5 = 9
| years6 = 2007–2010
| clubs6 = [[Real Zaragoza]]
| caps6 = 74
| goals6 = 4
| years7 = 2010–2011
| clubs7 = [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing Club]]
| caps7 = 15
| goals7 = 0
| totalcaps = 501
| totalgoals = 15
| nationalyears1 = 1996
| nationalteam1 = [[Argentina national under-23 football team|Argentina U23]]
| nationalcaps1 = 6
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2004
| nationalteam2 = [[Argentina national under-23 football team|Argentina Olympic]] ([[List of overage players in Olympic football|O.P.]])
| nationalcaps2 = 6
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 1994–2007
| nationalteam3 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]
| nationalcaps3 = 116<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/copa-america/afa-rinde-homenaje-messi-kun-aguero-record-partidos|title=AFA rinde homenaje a Messi y Kun Agüero por su récord de partidos|date=7 February 2021 }}</ref>
| nationalgoals3 = 7
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [[association football|Football]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{ARG}} <small>(as player)</small>}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]|[[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]|[[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]] | [[Football at the 1995 Pan American Games|Team]]}}
{{medalCountry|{{fb|ARG}} <small>(as assistant manager)</small>}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIFA World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 Qatar]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Copa América]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[2021 Copa América|2021 Brazil]]|}}
{{Medal|W|[[2024 Copa América|2024 United States]]|}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[2019 Copa América|2019 Brazil]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[2022 Finalissima|2022 England]]|}}
| managerclubs1 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] (assistant)
| manageryears1 = 2019-
}}

'''Roberto Fabián Ayala''' ({{IPA|es|roˈβeɾto faˈβjan aˈʝala|}}; born 14 April 1973), nicknamed ''El Ratón'' ("The Mouse"), is an Argentine former [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[centre back]] for the [[Argentina national football team]], as well as [[Valencia CF|Valencia]] and [[Real Zaragoza]] in Spain, [[A.C. Milan|Milan]] and [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] in Italy, and [[Ferro Carril Oeste|Ferro Carril]], [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]] and [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|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.<ref name="ilsole24ore">{{cite web|url=http://argomenti.ilsole24ore.com/roberto-ayala.html|title=Ultime notizie su Roberto Ayala|work=Il Sole 24 Ore|language=it|date=6 June 2006|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> Ayala [[Captain (sports)|captained]] Argentina in a record 63 matches.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn./sports/2007-06/06/content_888140.htm| title = Messi inspires Argentina to 4–3 win over Algeria| work = China Daily| date = 5 June 2007|access-date=6 June 2007}}</ref> He played in three [[FIFA World Cup]]s and made a total of 116 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 [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]] where his good form attracted the attention of clubs in Europe.

=== Move to Europe ===

==== Parma, Napoli and Milan ====
Italian side [[Parma Calcio 1913|Parma]] brought the Argentine defender to Europe. However, the club, having already used their quota of three non-[[European Union|EU]] players, loaned him to [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]], who purchased 50% of his rights on a co-ownership deal. Ayala was bought by [[A.C. Milan|Milan]] at the end of the [[1997–98 Serie A|1997–98 season]] and played there for two seasons until [[Valencia CF|Valencia]] purchased him for [[Pound sterling|£]]6.25&nbsp;million.

==== Valencia ====
After signing with Valencia in the summer of 2000, Ayala made 275 appearances during a seven-year spell at the club.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.valenciacf.com/ver/10324/ayala.html|title=Ayala|access-date=12 March 2016|work=Valencia CF}}</ref>

On 24 September 2000, Ayala made his debut for Valencia in a 3–0 [[La Liga]] win over [[CD Numancia|Numancia]].<ref name=years>{{cite news|url=http://en.valenciacf.com/ver/44150/15-years-of-ayalas-debut-with-vcf.html|title=15 years of Ayala's debut with VCF|date=24 September 2015|work=Valencia CF}}</ref> 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|2001 UEFA Champions League final]], where Valencia lost 5–4 to [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] after a [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shootout]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/may/23/minutebyminute.sport|title=Bayern Munich 1 – 1 Valencia|date=24 May 2001|work=The Guardian}}</ref> He was later named [[UEFA Club Football Awards#Best Defender|best defender]] for the [[2000–01 UEFA Champions League|2000–01 tournament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11946/9877400/champions-league-final-runners-up-xi-the-best-players-never-to-win-it|title=Champions League final runners-up XI: The best players never to win it|date=6 June 2015|publisher=Sky Sports}}</ref>

The following season, Ayala was part of the Valencia team that won the [[2001–02 La Liga]] [[List of Spanish football champions|title]]. He scored the opening goal of a 2–0 defeat of [[Málaga CF|Málaga]] which secured the championship on 5 May 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/11/rafa-benitez-newcastle-united-manager-career|title=Rafa Benítez: 10 key wins in new Newcastle United manager's career|date=12 March 2016|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2003–04, Valencia again won the [[2003–04 La Liga|La Liga]] title and beat [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] 2–0 in [[Gothenburg]] to win the [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]].<ref name=years/>

During the [[2004–05 La Liga|2004–05 season]], injuries kept Ayala from much of the La Liga campaign as well as the [[2004 UEFA Super Cup|UEFA Super Cup]] victory over [[FC Porto|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.<ref name=years/>

==== 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 CF|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.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.realzaragoza.com/r2z/paginas/noticias.php?id=1796 | title = Ayala será jugador del Real Zaragoza | publisher = Real Zaragoza | date = 14 July 2007 | access-date=14 July 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070811122046/http://www.realzaragoza.com/r2z/paginas/noticias.php?id=1796 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 11 August 2007}}</ref> The buy-out clause in his contract with Villarreal was [[Euro|€]]6&nbsp;million (£4.8&nbsp;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.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/news/kind=1/newsid=561931.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090108130527/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/news/kind=1/newsid=561931.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index | url-status = dead | archive-date = 8 January 2009 | title = Zaragoza put an end to Ayala saga | publisher = UEFA | date = 17 July 2006 | access-date=17 July 2007 }}</ref> 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 [[SD Eibar|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 de Avellaneda|Racing Club]] signed Ayala on a free transfer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cooperativa.cl/roberto-ayala-llego-a-argentina-para-incorporarse-a-racing-club/prontus_nots/2010-02-02/144611.html|title=Roberto Ayala llegó a Argentina para incorporarse a Racing Club}}</ref>

== International career ==
Ayala made his debut for Argentina on 16 November 1994 against [[Chile national football team|Chile]] under coach [[Daniel Passarella]].

Ayala played for [[Argentina national under-23 football team|Argentina U23]] at the [[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics|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 FIFA World Cup|2002]] competition due to a last-minute injury moments before their first match against [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]]. He was selected as one of the three [[List of overage players in Olympic football|overage players]] then [[Argentina national under-23 football team|Argentina U23]] won the [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|gold medal]] at the [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]]. Ayala played an integral part in the Argentine squad for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|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 national football team|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 national football team|Angola]], Ayala earned his 100th cap for Argentina.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=32316.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071104050822/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=32316.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 November 2007 | title = Centurion Ayala eyes main prize | publisher = FIFA | date = 29 June 2006 | access-date=26 June 2007}}</ref>
 
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 (association football)|captain]]), beating his friend [[Diego Simeone]], in a friendly victory 1–0 against [[France national football team|France]] played in the [[Stade de France]] in Paris.

On 5 June 2007, in a friendly against [[Algeria national football team|Algeria]], Ayala captained Argentina for a record 58th international, having equalled [[Diego Maradona]]'s mark of 57 in the 1–1 draw against [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] in [[Basel]] on 2 June.<ref>
{{cite news | url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn./sports/2007-06/06/content_888140.htm | title = Messi inspires Argentina to 4–3 win over Algeria | work = [[China Daily]] | date = 5 June 2007 | access-date=6 June 2007}}</ref>

On 17 July 2007, two days after playing in the [[2007 Copa América Final]], which ended in a 3–0 defeat to [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], and during which he scored an own goal, Ayala announced his retirement from international football.<ref name="clarin.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/07/17/um/m-01459316.htm|title=Ayala: "Mi ciclo en la Selección está terminado"|publisher=www.clarin.com|language=es|date=17 July 2007}}</ref> Ayala stated, "it has nothing to do with what happened in the final of the Copa América."<ref name="clarin.com"/> [[Javier Zanetti]] took over from him as captain.

== After retiring ==
===Racing Club===
On 30 December, Ayala retired from professional football.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.26noticias.com.ar/roberto-ayala-se-retiro-del-futbol-124288.html|title=Roberto Ayala se retiró del fútbol}}</ref> On 21 December 2011, Ayala was hired as a football coordinator at [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing Club]].<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/futbol/roberto-ayala-es-el-nuevo-coordinador-del-futbol-de-racing-nid1434477 Roberto Ayala es el nuevo coordinador del fútbol de Racing], lanacion.com.ar, 21 December 2011</ref> In September 2013, a new management arrived, and Ayala was released on 19 September 2013.<ref>[https://www.elintransigente.com/deportes/futbol/2013/9/19/por-interna-dirigencial-roberto-ayala-dejara-ser-manager-racing-206733.html Por la interna dirigencial, Roberto Ayala dejará de ser el Manager de Racing], elintransigente.com, 19 September 2013</ref>

===Valencia CF===
In December 2013, Ayala was hired as a technical director / sport director for [[Valencia CF|Valencia]], where he was going to be the responsible for the whole South American area.<ref>[https://www.elconfidencial.com/deportes/futbol/2013-12-23/roberto-ayala-regresa-al-valencia-para-pescar-los-nuevos-talentos-de-sudamerica_69820/ Roberto Ayala regresa al Valencia para 'pescar' los nuevos talentos de Sudamérica], elconfidencial.com, 23 December 2013</ref> The role also involved him scouting in that area to find young talents. He left the club in the middle of 2015.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/gary-neville-to-valencia-spanish-fans-will-give-latest-coach-little-time-to-bed-in-a6757926.html Gary Neville to Valencia: Spanish fans will give latest coach little time to bed in], independent.co.uk, 2 December 2015</ref>

===Argentina===
On 10 January 2019, Ayala joined the technical staff of the [[Argentina national football team]] as a field assistant of manager [[Lionel Scaloni]].<ref name=arg>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/sep/21/valencia-fans-turn-on-nuno-la-liga Roberto Ayala se sumará al cuerpo técnico de la Selección Argentina], theguardian.com, 10 January 2019</ref>

== 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.<ref name="ilsole24ore"/><ref name="2002WCProfile">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/argentina/squad/newsid_1786000/1786688.stm|title=Roberto Ayala|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 May 2002|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Ayala is married to Veronica, and has four children: Francisco, Sofía, Pilar and Martina.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}

==Career statistics==
===Club===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|Cup
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Ferro Carril Oeste]]
|[[1991–92 Argentine Primera División|1991–92]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Argentine Primera División|Primera División]]
|19||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||0
|-
|[[1992–93 Argentine Primera División|1992–93]]
|36||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||36||0
|-
|[[1993–94 Argentine Primera División|1993]]
|18||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||3<ref group=lower-alpha name="Copa Sudamericana">Appearances in the [[Copa Centenario de la AFA]].</ref>||0||21||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!73||1||0||0||0||0||3||0||76||1
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[CA River Plate|River Plate]] 
|[[1993–94 Argentine Primera División|1994]]
|rowspan="2"|Primera División
|16||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||0
|-
|[[1994–95 Argentine Primera División|1994–95]]
|25||0||colspan=2|—||12||1||colspan="2"|—||37||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!41!!0!!0!!0!!12!!1!!0!!0!!53!!1
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[SSC Napoli|Napoli]]
|[[1995–96 S.S.C. Napoli season|1995–96]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Serie A]]
|29||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||30||1
|-
|[[1996–97 S.S.C. Napoli season|1996–97]]
|30||1||6||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||36||1
|-
|[[1997–98 S.S.C. Napoli season|1997–98]]
|28||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||30||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!87!!1!!9!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!96!!1
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[AC Milan|Milan]] 
|[[1998–99 A.C. Milan season|1998–99]]
|rowspan="2"|Serie A
|11||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||13||0
|-
|[[1999–2000 A.C. Milan season|1999-00]]
|13||0||3||0||6||0||colspan="2"|—||22||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!24!!0!!5!!0!!6!!0!!0!!0!!35!!0
|-
|rowspan="8"|[[Valencia CF|Valencia]]
|[[2000–01 Valencia CF season|2000–01]]
|rowspan="7"|[[La Liga]]
|28||1||2||0||9||2||colspan="2"|—||39||3
|-
|[[2001–02 Valencia CF season|2001–02]]
|29||2||1||0||7||0||colspan="2"|—||37||2
|-
|[[2002–03 Valencia CF season|2002–03]]
|31||1||colspan=2|—||12||0||2<ref group="lower-alpha" name="LGC">Appearances in the [[Supercopa de España]].</ref>||0||45||1
|-
|[[2003–04 Valencia CF season|2003–04]]
|30||1||5||0||10||0||colspan="2"|—||45||1
|-
|[[2004–05 Valencia CF season|2004–05]]
|17||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||17||0
|-
|[[2005–06 Valencia CF season|2005–06]]
|23||2||colspan=2|—||6<ref group=lower-alpha name="UEFA Intertoto Cup">Appearances in the [[Intertoto Cup]].</ref>||0||colspan="2"|—||29||2
|-
|[[2006–07 Valencia CF season|2006–07]]
|29||2||4||0||8||1||colspan="2"|—||41||3
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!187!!9!!14!!0!!52!!3!!2!!0!!253!!12
|-
|[[Villarreal CF|Villarreal]]
|[[2006–07 Villarreal CF season|2006–07]]
|La Liga
|0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0|
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Real Zaragoza|Zaragoza]]
|[[2007–08 La Liga|2007–08]]
|La Liga
|33||1||4||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||39||1
|-
|[[2008–09 La Liga|2008–09]]
|[[Segunda División]]
|28||3||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||28||3
|-
|[[2009–10 La Liga|2009–10]]
|La Liga
|13||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||14||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!74!!4!!5!!0!!2!!0!!0!!0!!81!!4
|-
|[[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing]] 
|[[2009–10 Argentine Primera División season|2009–10]]
|Primera División
|15||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||15||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!501!!15!!34!!0!!72!!4!!5!!0!!609!!19
|}
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/rayala-intl.html|title=Roberto Fabián Ayala – Century of International Appearances|website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=1 April 2017}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="15"|[[Argentina national football team|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''.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Roberto Ayala
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| align="center"|1
| 19 February 1998
| [[Mendoza, Argentina]]
| {{flagu|Romania}}n League
|
| align="center"|2–1
| Unofficial Friendly<ref Name=rsssf>[https://www.rsssf.org/intldetails/1998ic.html International Matches 1998] Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 March 2008.</ref>
|-
| align="center"|2
| 7 September 1999
| [[Porto Alegre]], Brazil
| {{fb|Brazil}}
|
| align="center"|2–4
| [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|-
| align="center"|3
| 26 April 2000
| [[Maracaibo]], Venezuela
| {{fb|Venezuela}}
| align="center"|1–0
| align="center"|4–0
| [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|World Cup 2002 Qualifying]]
|-
| align="center"|4
| 13 July 2004
| [[Piura]], Peru
| {{fb|Uruguay}}
| align="center"|3–2
| align="center"|4–2
| [[2004 Copa América]]
|-
| align="center"|5
| 12 November 2005
| [[Geneva]], Switzerland
| {{fb|England}}
|
| align="center"|2–3
| Friendly
|-
| align="center"|6
| 16 November 2005
| [[Doha]], Qatar
| {{fb|Qatar}}
|
| align="center"|3–0
| Friendly
|-
| align="center"|7
| 30 June 2006
| Berlin, Germany
| {{fb|Germany}}
| align="center"|1–0
| align="center"|1–1 (2–4 PS)
| [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]
|}

== Honours ==

=== Player ===
'''River Plate'''
* [[Argentine Primera División]]: [[1994–95 Argentine Primera División|1994 Apertura]]

'''Napoli'''
* [[Coppa Italia]] runner-up: [[1997 Coppa Italia final|1996-97]]

'''Milan'''
* [[Serie A]]: [[1998–99 Serie A|1998–99]]

'''Valencia'''
* [[La Liga]]: [[2001–02 La Liga|2001–02]], [[2003–04 La Liga|2003–04]]
* [[UEFA Cup]]: [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|2003–04]]
* [[UEFA Super Cup]]: [[2004 UEFA Super Cup|2004]]
* [[UEFA Champions League]] runner-up: [[2001 UEFA Champions League final|2000–2001]]
* [[UEFA Intertoto Cup]] runner-up: [[2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup|2005]]

'''Argentina'''
* [[Olympic Games|Olympic Gold Medal]]: [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2004]]
* [[Pan American Games]]: [[1995 Pan American Games|1995]]
* [[Copa América]] runner-up: [[2004 Copa América|2004]], [[2007 Copa América|2007]]
* [[FIFA Confederations Cup]] runner-up: [[1995 King Fahd Cup|1995]]

'''Individual'''
* South American Team of the Year: 1994<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/sam-toy.html|title=South American Team of the Year|date=16 January 2009|website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref>
* [[UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year]]: [[UEFA Club Football Awards#Best Defender|2000–01]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=1639472.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929215044/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=1639472.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 September 2011|title=UEFA Club Football Awards|publisher=UEFA|date=1 May 2011|access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>
* [[European Sports Media Team of the Year]]: [[European Sports Media#2003.E2.80.9304|2003–04]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/esm-xi.html|title=ESM XI|author1=Karel Stokkermans|date=14 March 2007|website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref>
* [[Copa América]] Team of the Tournament: [[Copa America 2004|2004]]
* [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] [[2006 FIFA World Cup#All-star team|All-Star Team]]<ref name="France, Italy dominate World Cup all-star squad">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/france-italy-dominate-world-cup-all-star-squad-1.572395|title=France, Italy dominate World Cup all-star squad|publisher=CBC|date=7 July 2006|access-date=27 May 2015}}</ref>
* [[International Federation of Football History & Statistics|IFFHS]] Argentina All Times Dream Team (Team B): 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iffhs.com/posts/1239|title=IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM|date=26 August 2021}}</ref>

=== Managerial ===
'''Argentina''' (as assistant manager)

* [[FIFA World Cup]]: [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Scott |date=2022-12-18 |title=2022 World Cup final: Argentina 3-3 France (aet, 4-2 on pens) – as it happened |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2022/dec/18/argentina-france-world-cup-2022-final-live |access-date=2024-06-28 |work=the Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[Copa América]]: [[2021 Copa América|2021]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-09 |title=Lionel Messi wins first Copa America as Argentina beat Brazil in final |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57776158 |access-date=2024-06-28 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[2024 Copa América|2024]]; third place: [[2019 Copa América|2019]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-07-06 |title=Argentina 2-1 Chile: Messi gets first red card in 14 years as Argentina win |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48890323 |access-date=2024-06-28 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* [[CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions]]: [[2022 Finalissima|2022]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-31 |title=Italy 0-3 Argentina: Messi and Di Maria shine in impressive Finalissima win |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/61653337 |access-date=2024-06-28 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120831150649/http://www.futbolxxi.com/Futbolista.aspx?ID=820&SEOFutbolista=Ayala+Roberto+Fabian Argentine Primera statistics]}} at Fútbol XXI {{in lang|es}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg    = gold
| fg    = navy
| list1 =
{{2006 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament}}
{{2004 Copa América Team of the Tournament}}
{{1994 South American Team of the Year}}
{{UEFA Club Football Awards}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Argentina squads
|bg= #6AB5FF
|fg= white
|bordercolor= silver
|list1=
{{Argentina squad 1995 King Fahd Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 1995 Copa América}}
{{Argentina men's football squad 1996 Summer Olympics}}
{{Argentina squad 1998 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 1999 Copa América}}
{{Argentina squad 2002 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 2004 Copa América}}
{{Argentina men's football squad 2004 Summer Olympics}}
{{Argentina squad 2006 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 2007 Copa América}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Roberto}}
[[Category:Argentine men's footballers]]
[[Category:Argentina men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Men's association football central defenders]]
[[Category:Men's association football sweepers]]
[[Category:AC Milan players]]
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[[Category:Club Atlético River Plate footballers]]
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[[Category:Valencia CF players]]
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[[Category:Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers]]
[[Category:La Liga players]]
[[Category:Serie A players]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Argentina]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Argentina]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Argentina]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1995 King Fahd Cup players]]
[[Category:1995 Copa América players]]
[[Category:1999 Copa América players]]
[[Category:2004 Copa América players]]
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[[Category:Footballers from Paraná, Entre Ríos]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Argentine people of Basque descent]]
[[Category:FIFA Men's Century Club]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Italy]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Spain]]
[[Category:Argentine Primera División players]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in football]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Argentina]]
[[Category:Pan American Games medalists in football]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century Argentine sportsmen]]