Claudio Lopez was one of the first young Argentines to hit the big time in Europe after moving to Valencia.

There he forged a brilliant partnership with Spanish team-mate Gaizka Mendieta.

His prolific strike rate in the Primera Liga secured a £22m move to Lazio in the summer of 2001.

In Rome, he joined Argentine team-mate and fellow forward Hernan Crespo.

If coach Marcelo Bielsa's tactical preferences stay the same, Lopez is likely to start alongside Crespo in favour of all-time top Argentine goalscorer Gabriel Batistuta.

Lopez was part of the Argentine squad which reached the quarter-finals in France 1998 and he scored one goal in that tournament.