Roberto Ayala (Argentina)

Personal Information

Full name              Roberto Fabián Ayala
Date of birth          April 14, 1973
Place of birth        Paraná, Argentina
Height                   1.77 m (5 ft 9 ¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position    Libero/Centre back (retired)

Roberto Fabián Ayala (born 14 April 1973), nicknamed el Ratón (in English: "the Mouse"), is an Argentine former football centre back.
Regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation, Ayala captained the Argentine national team for more matches (63) than anyone else. He played in three World Cups and made a total 115 international appearances, with only Javier Zanetti getting more caps for Argentina. Roberto inherited the nickname of Ratón from Argentine 1974 World Cup player Rubén Ayala, though they are not related.