Born in Rosario, Argentina, he began his carrer with Newell's Old Boys before attracting interest from Europe, signing for Real Oviedo of the Segunda Division on loan in 2001.

An attacking talent of real class, he first shot to international prominence in Argentina's 2001 World Youth winning championship effort and his performances with Oviedo led to a move to Espanyol. He improved every season with Espanyol and the 15 goals he scored in 2004-05 saw him snapped up by Atletico Madrid, where he continued to impress.

Part of the Argentina squad at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals, he spent four years in Madrid before signing for Liverpool in January 2010.

Strengths: Tricky and intelligent, he is an excellent dribbler and possesses great technique.

Weaknesses: Not the quickest, he is hot-headed but lacks the physical strength to back it up. Can be prone to theatrics.

Career high: He scored a stunning winning goal against Mexico in a 2-1 extra-time victory in the Second Round of the 2006 World Cup. A wonderfully controlled volley from outside the box, it was voted the best goal of the tournament.

Career low: Missing the 2007 Copa America after suffering a serious knee injury.

Style: Clever, technical, a potent attacking threat.

Quotes: ''Maxi knows Javier (Mascherano) and Fernando (Torres) and the big positive from that point was they have a very good opinion of him. He is a player who knows about the game.'' Rafa Benitez, January 2010.

Trivia: He is nicknamed 'La Fiera' (The Fierce One).