From Shining In Peru To Signing For A South American Champion, What Happened To Christian “Tití” Ortiz? – S Chronicles

In 2016, San Martín University signed the Argentine striker as one of their foreign reinforcements Christian Ortiz, who was loaned out by Independiente de Avellaneda in search of continuity. ‘Tití’ did not disappoint the Saints’ expectations in his freshman season as he finished as a top scorer with 20 goals in 40 games. Those numbers piqued the interest of Sporting Cristal, who accepted him into their ranks the following year to challenge for the two-time championship.

Ortiz was unable to match his brilliant performance with the Saints in Rímac in the 2017 Descentralizado. A total of 11 goals in 39 ties (in addition to six Copa Libertadores appearances) was his season’s tally, after which he returned to his country because there was no agreement between the club that owned his passport and the Brewers on an extension the loan.

His return to Independiente was short-lived as he terminated his contract in mid-2018 to rejoin San Martín. In his second spell with the Santa Anita line-up, he did well, scoring seven goals in just 18 games. In 2019 he was released and had the opportunity to take personal revenge by signing with Cristal for three years.

Christian Ortiz had two stints at Sporting Cristal. Photo: composition by Fabrizio Oviedo/GLR

Despite scoring just four goals in 25 games in the first season of his return to the Bajo Pontino side (in addition to another four in the Copa Sudamericana), Ortiz established himself as a left winger due to his role as a key player in attack. With a place in the starting XI already won, the player was projected to have a happier 2020, but fate had other plans for him.

Transfer to the Independiente del Valle

In early 2020, ‘Tití’ barely managed to score and played three official games with the Heavenly ones (one for Liga 1 and two for the Copa Libertadores) before joining Independiente del Valle of Ecuador, the brand new champions Copa Sudamericana 2019. The Giant Killer paid the roughly $500,000 clause to get the Argentine’s record, who quickly adjusted to his new squad.

In 2020, the Rosario footballer scored nine goals in 29 duels (between LigaPro and Libertadores) and in 2021 he improved his statistics with 10 goals in 20 crosses (local and international). Although he was officially federal champion at the end of the year, he was not present at the time of the inauguration as he had already departed for a new goal.

Ortiz won the only title of his career so far at Independiente del Valle. Photo: EFE

Departure to Mexico, USA and return to Argentina

In July 2021, Xolos de Tijuana bought him for an undisclosed amount, but this operation increased the value of his passport to one and a half million euros. However, the Mexican team did not fare well as he remained without a goal despite 17 Liga MX appearances.

For 2022 he was loaned to MLS Charlotte, who only housed him for half a semester after producing three goals in 17 games. For the remaining months he was repatriated by the defense and judiciary from his native Argentina, where he registered barely seven attendances. Currently, his price is set at one million euros and he must return to Tijuana.