Player profile

The winger is a real favourite of Maradona, although the Argentine media are less enthusiastic about his selection. Unlike Newcastle team-mate Fabricio Coloccini, he has retained his international place despite a season in the Championship.

He has formed an effective partnership with Jose Enrique on Newcastle’s left flank, but the emergence of Angel Di Maria means he is more likely to feature on the right side for Argentina. He filled in at right-back for the crucial qualifying win against Peru, but looked uncomfortable with defensive duties.

Gutierrez started his career at Velez Sarsfield before a switch to Real Mallorca, where he scored five times in 96 league games. Signed by Kevin Keegan in 2008, he could not prevent the Magpies from being relegated in his first season on Tyneside.

Famous for his superhero-style celebrations at Mallorca, Newcastle fans had to wait almost two years for a repeat performance on Tyneside. He put on a Spiderman mask he had been keeping in his pants after scoring against Barnsley in March.

Afterwards he said: “I don’t know how long the mask has been down there, but it didn’t smell very nice when I put it on.”

He is being cheered on by family and friends in South Africa – his father, mother, sister and brother have all crossed the Atlantic to watch him.