As stood in the tunnel of the Stadium waiting to receive his player-of-the-match award, he joked that there was no chance his wife, Sabina, would let him keep the garish yellow and purple trophy on the mantelpiece at their family home. Instead, it's taken pride of place in a special room taken over by Ortega to house his growing collection of medals and memorabilia. After two years at , that room is starting to fill up, and his save to deny -- the one that won him the award against Spurs -- in their penultimate game played a big part in earning a second winners medal.
"He saves us, otherwise are champions," manager Pep Guardiola said after that win. "That is the reality. The margins are so tight.
The save from Son. It was incredible." As Son ran through with the chance to equalise, potentially swinging the title race back in Arsenal's favour, Guardiola slumped to the floor.
On the bench, though, goalkeeper coach Xabier Mancisidor remained relatively confident. Ortega is rated by City's staff as one of the best goalkeepers in one-on-one situations. According to one source, he has a way of controlling what he wants to happen using subtle movements with his eyes and body.
It worked against Son -- Ortega was able to fling out a leg, stop the shot and keep City on course to win a record fourth consecutive title before finishing the job with a 3-1 win over on the final day of the season. The Son save was even more remarkable given that Ortega had been on the pitch for only a matter.