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Players who played for both River Plate and Valencia
5 famous players have played for both River Plate and Valencia, including Mario Kempes, Roberto Ayala, Pablo Aimar and Ariel Ortega. 3 of them played for River Plate first; 2 started at Valencia.
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Mario KempesEarliest on this list to play for both: Valencia (1976–1981, 1982–1984), then River Plate from 1981.- Enzo Nicolás PérezLatest on this list: Valencia first, then River Plate from 2017.
- Ariel OrtegaMost separate spells: 4 across the two clubs (River Plate 1991–1996, 2000–2002, 2006–2012; Valencia 1997–1998).
All 5 players, most famous first
- Mario Kempes
Argentina · Forward · born 1954- River Plate
- 1981–1982
- Valencia
- 1976–1981, 1982–1984
- Roberto AyalaArgentina · Defender · born 1973
- River Plate
- 1994–1995
- Valencia
- 2000–2007
- Pablo AimarArgentina · Midfielder · born 1979
- River Plate
- 1993–2000, 2015
- Valencia
- 2001–2006
- Ariel OrtegaArgentina · Forward · born 1974
- River Plate
- 1991–1996, 2000–2002, 2006–2012
- Valencia
- 1997–1998
- Enzo Nicolás PérezArgentina · Goalkeeper · born 1986
- River Plate
- 2017–2023, 2025
- Valencia
- 2015–2017
Years are club stints from Wikidata (snapshot 2026-09-28); a loan that runs straight into a transfer is shown as one stint. “from YEAR” means no end year is recorded — it is not a claim about a current club.
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Questions
How many famous players have played for both River Plate and Valencia?
5 in our data, including Mario Kempes, Roberto Ayala, Pablo Aimar and Ariel Ortega. The list covers famous footballers only — players covered by at least 45 language editions of Wikipedia — so it is not every player who ever wore both shirts.
Who was the first player on this list to play for both clubs?
In our data, Mario Kempes: Valencia (1976–1981, 1982–1984), then River Plate (1981–1982).
Where does this list come from?
Club careers from Wikidata, the open database behind Wikipedia (public domain, CC0), snapshot 2026-09-28. Senior spells count, loans included when Wikidata records them; youth and reserve teams do not. Found a mistake? Tell us via the About page.