ACTUALITE |
14.03.2002
Argentina call up Caniggia again
Claudio Caniggia`s resurrection as an Argentina international continued when coach Marcelo Bielsa called up the veteran striker to face Cameroon.
The 35-year-old Glasgow Rangers striker was the most significant name among the 18 players named for Argentina`s friendly on March 27.
`El Pajaro` or `The Bird`, as he is known, also turned out for Argentina in last month`s friendly with Wales, his first game with the national team since late 1996.
Caniggia`s display was solid and Bielsa was clearly impressed enough to give Caniggia another go.
Caniggia said his latest call-up had fuelled his ambition to make it to the World Cup this summer.
He told La Red: "Now that I`m playing for the national team, I just want to carry on playing. My mission is to play in the World Cup. It`s a huge challenge for me, and so I`m going to give everything I`ve got to make it."
Also in Bielsa`s squad was AC Milan defender Jose Chamot, 32, who keeps his place in the squad thanks in large measure to the injuries to fellow full-backs Nelson Vivas and Eduardo Berizzo, both of whom have been ruled out for the World Cup.
Bielsa decided to recall Lazio striker Hernan Crespo and Monaco midfielder Marcelo Gallardo, who had missed the Wales game.
But there were no places for AS Roma`s Gabriel Batistuta, Barcelona`s Javier Saviola or Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, although the latter is injured. All three players are, however, expected to be called up for Argentina`s friendly with Germany in April.
Meanwhile, Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona admitted that a venue for the match had still not been fixed.
Grondona said they had wanted to play in Europe, but France, Italy and Spain had all been ruled out. Reports indicate Geneva is now the most likely setting for the game, a repeat of the opening match of the 1990 World Cup when Cameroon shocked the world by beating the then world champions 1-0.
Squad: German Burgos (Atletico Madrid), Pablo Cavallero (Celta Vigo); Roberto Ayala (Valencia), Mauricio Pochetino (Paris Saint-Germain), Walter Samuel (AS Roma), Juan Pablo Sorin (Cruzeiro), Jose Chamot (AC Milan); Marcelo Gallardo (Monaco); Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Diego Placente (Bayer Leverkusen), Matias Almeyda (Parma), Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United), Pablo Aimar (Valencia), Gustavo Lopez (Celta Vigo); Cristian Gonzalez (Valencia), Claudio Lopez (Lazio), Claudio Caniggia (Glasgow Rangers), Hernan Crespo (Lazio).
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