They were The Fabulous Five. Now that the veteran Martin Palermo has registered on the World Cup scoresheet, they can be called The Sensational Six. Argentina's striking power was always likely to be their strength in South Africa. In their first three matches Argentina scored seven goals and it might have been 10 or 12 if Vincent Enyeama, the Nigerian goalkeeper, had not been so inspired while limiting Diego Maradona's team to a 1-0 victory at the outset of Group B.
Although the goals have been scored by defenders as well as strikers, each of Argentina's half-dozen forwards has shown a liveliness that suggests their recent good form is not restricted to club football. The Argentina coach, who took some time deciding on his first team in the build-up, will enjoy the selection dilemmas ahead of today's meeting with Mexico and, equally, enjoy glancing round and seeing the potent trio he has ready to come off the bench:
Lionel Messi Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season. He is the reigning World Footballer of the Year and probably the most exciting player to have emerged in the 21st century. Doubts stalked him ahead of the World Cup because he has frequently shone far less brightly for Argentina than for his club. But here, in South Africa, Messi looks confident and comfortable. He dazzled in the group phase, and his coach, who made him captain against Greece, evidently recognises his importance.
Gonzalo Higuain For the first year of his reign as Argentina coach, Maradona seemed unmoved by the progress Higuain was making at Real Madrid, which he joined in 2007, aged only 19. Born in France, where his father played as a professional, he had the choice to represent Les Bleus, but elected for Argentina, where he has spent most of his life. Deceptively quick, and a more-than-capable header of the ball, Higuain scored 29 times for Real last season. He also scored a hat-trick against South Korea in Argentina's second match in these World Cup finals.
Carlos Tevez Alias "Apache", Tevez is eye-catching for his hard work. He is a furious, tireless runner who will move wide, explore the channels and withdraw to deep positions for the ball. A native of Buenos Aires, he has thrived in the Argentinian league, was a player-of-the-year in Brazilian football and on transferring to West Ham United, kept them in the English Premier League. Effective but not prolific in front of goal for Manchester United, his move to Manchester City has unleashed the scorer inside; he had 29 goals last season.
Sergio Aguero Known to his fans and his coach as "Kun" for a facial resemblance to a Japanese cartoon character, Aguero is the youngest of Maradona's World Cup strike force but is by no means a novice. He won the Europa League with Atletico Madrid in May, and hit 20 goals during the season for the Spanish club. Great skills on the ball, good pace and plenty of bravura in taking on opponents, Aguero's relationship with the coach is necessarily close: he is the father of Maradona's grandson.
Martin Palermo Given a surprise recall to the national team after an absence of a decade, Palermo, 36, offers alternative approaches for his coach. Maradona has proved very ready to consider players' performances in the Argentinian league - where Palermo is Boca Juniors' career-best scorer - as highly as achievements in European leagues, where Palermo had short spells. He is big, powerful, strong in the air and the closest to a traditional target man. He scored a crucial goal in qualifying against Peru, and his first World Cup finals goal was against Greece.
Diego Milito The second-leading scorer in Italy's Serie A last season, he was crucial in achieving a historic treble for his club, Inter Milan. Milito, now into his 30s, came to South Africa in blessed form. He scored the goals that sealed the Coppa Italia, the league championship and the Champions League final for Inter. Milito is intelligent, industrious and determined, and he may be the best pure finisher, aside from Messi, in Maradona's pack. @Email:sports@thenational.ae Watch England v Germany (6pm) and Argentina v Mexico (10.30pm) both on Aljazeera World Cup and Aljazeera Sport +9
