Fabricio Coloccini says winning promotion with Newcastle United means more to him than going to the World Cup with Argentina.

Coloccini knows that it is touch-and-go whether he makes Diego Maradona's final squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa.

But he told the Evening Chronicle: "This season we have had to battle and scrap for every point - it has been difficult but at last we have achieved our objective.

"For me as a footballer, playing in the Premier League is where I want to be and why I signed for this great club.

"To be playing in the best league in the world means so much.

"Yes, I want to go to the World Cup finals with my country, but I know that if I want to be selected in the future, playing at the top level is where I need to be.

"This club belongs in the top half of the Premier League and that's where we aim to go now."