Breaking down the list: Midfielders

Well, time played against Mundo Albiceleste again, as we were unable to publish the players' profiles that we prepared before the list was announced.

But it is not too late yet, here are the midfielders that will represent Argentina in Venezuela 2007.

Name : Fernando Rubén GAGO
Club : Real Madrid
Caps : 2 (0)
Hail to the new REDONDO. Apart from sharing the first name, GAGO’s quality has often been compared to those of his predecessor. A very elegant player can cover the defensive aspects of a modern midfielder but his main strenght is his ball distribution. No wonder why Real paid so much for his services. Hasn’t really shine for the Albicelestes yet but Venezuela could just be the perfect platform for him to do so.

Name : Javier Alejandro MASCHERANO
Club : Liverpool FC
Caps : 22 (0)
He arrived in England with full of promise and was going nowhere but ended up becoming Liverpool’s man of the match in the Champions League final, as voted by the club supporters in their official website. Well-known for his tough-tackling defense he is also equally effective on the ball.

Name : Luis Oscar GONZALEZ
Club : FC Porto
Caps : 31 (5)
Know as LUCHO. He was the inspiration for Porto in their Champions League campaign and even scored probably the goal of the season against Hamburg. While chances are he might be starting from the bench, his control, great technique and scoring ability could be crucial to COCO, when needed the most.

Name : Juan Román RIQUELME
Club : Boca Juniors (on loan from Villarreal)
Caps : 36 (8)
Passion is the word. There are people who love ROMAN with passion. They are people who use that passion to hate him. But being the most controversial player in our national team in the last couple of decades, he still manages to confuse the rest and keep them undecided! He owns an incredible touch and he can keep the ball away from defenders like very few players in the World can. After a great semester with Boca Juniors, he decided to return to international football and the Copa America is his chance to prove people he can be as effective with Argentina.

Name : Esteban Matías CAMBIASSO
Club : Internazionale
Caps : 27 (2)
El CUCHU will forever be remembered in Albicelestes folklore for finishing that masterpiece move against Serbia & Montenegro in the last World Cup. A tremendous ball winner could face stiff competition from MASCHERANO and GAGO for a place in central midfield. Also a key member of the Scudetto champions: Inter.

Name : Pablo César AIMAR
Club : Real Zaragoza
Caps : 44 (7)
For years he lived in the shadows of VERON and RIQUELME for that elusive playmaker role. A moved to ZARAGOZA from VALENCIA has helped him to rediscover some of his old magic and Venezuela could be his re-launching pad. Was once described by DIEGO as the “only player he will pay to watch” and Lionel MESSI have recently said: “The player with whom I feel more comfortable playing alongside is Pablo AIMAR”.

Name : Juan Sebastián VERON
Club : Estudiantes de La Plata
Caps : 58 (9)
Mysterious is the word often associated with La Brujita. Ever since his returned to Argentina, VERON is making headlines for all the good reasons again, which leads up to his recall to play for the Albicelestes. Though criticised for being slow and cold, he compensates that with his considerable experience, field vision, long-distance shot and elegant passing.

Who's your favourite from this group of midfielders?

Apart from Maxi RODRIGUEZ, who do you think is/are missing in this list?