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Attacker Julio Ricardo Cruz says he was very surprised to see his last name among the list of 23 players selected for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.
"Being invited to represent your country in the World Cup is one of the most honorable things that can happen to a player. After being included in the Argentine squad, I feel very good," shared J.Cruz with joy.
The inclusion of the Milan club striker in the squad was truly unexpected, especially after it was revealed that other Argentine players from "Inter" such as Javier Zanetti, Walter Samuel, Juan Sebastian Veron, Santiago Solari, and Kily Gonzalez would be watching the tournament from home.
"I am really sorry for these people, as they are important players in our club and in the football world in general. Before the list was announced, I turned off my phone, not wanting people to bother me with various rumors. Only after seeing the final official list did I find out that I was included," said J.Cruz.
The 31-year-old striker probably played his best season of his career this year, scoring a total of 21 goals in the Italian league and the Champions League.
"Of course, my performance for the 'Inter' club was a very important reason for the invitation. I really didn't expect to be the club's top scorer before the season. This invitation to the national team made me very happy, especially because four years ago I hoped to go to the 2002 World Cup, but it didn't work out then. However, I achieved my goal," said the Argentine.
Argentina was eliminated just after the group stage in the championship four years ago, but the player believes that this year the team will do much better.
"All the matches in the World Cup are very difficult, but I believe that we have good enough players to reach the final, and my dream is to play in the final against Brazil," J.Cruz talked about the upcoming championship.
