Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca hopes he can win a place in the Argentina team thanks to the arrivals of Javier Mascherano (Liverpool) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester United) in the last year.

"The national TV is showing a lot of English games over there now," said Arca, who has played in all five of Boro's Premier League matches this term. "Last month, they showed the whole of our game with Newcastle and they show highlights over there as well.

"The English and Spanish leagues are very popular over there, especially because of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. It's important and, if I'm scoring goals and doing well, it could help me get noticed.

"As a player, I obviously have ambitions, but the longer it goes on, the less you think about being called up. At the moment, I'm thinking more about playing well for Middlesbrough and that's what it's all about for me. But if I'm doing well here, who knows what might happen?"