22 Caps for Argentina over a five year period gives you a flavour for Bassedas. More combative than exhilarating, Christian would spend almost his entire career in his native land playing over 250 league games for Velez Sarsfield where he'd also manage for a season at the end of his playing career.

His move to Newcastle after a 10 year career was Christian's big pay day. At £3.5m, his capture in 2000 at the age of 27 was a major coup for the then manager Sir Bobby Robson.

During his three years at the club he would however only play 24 games, scoring once. He'd finish his career with a loan spell from United to Tenerife, where he'd play just 14 games.