Hailed as the new Diego Maradona when he first arrived on the international scene, Ortega has been a regular feature for Argentina ever since.

In the Far East he will wear the legendary number 10 shirt that Maradona wore throughout his international career.

While he has failed to match the histrionics of Maradona both on and off the field, disputes with players, referees and coaches have been a feature of his career.

That said, his attacking ability has been crucial to Argentina and, as a result, Marcelo Biesla has kept faith with the 28-year-old.

Only Roberto Ayala and Walter Samuel won more caps in qualifying matches for the World Cup.

Now at River Plate he is one of the few Argentine-based players in contention for a place.

He has European experience, having played at Valencia, Sampdoria and Parma.