Internazionale striker Julio Cruz is determined to prove his critics wrong after being named in Argentina's World Cup squad.

The 31-year-old was overlooked for the 2002 finals and was a surprise inclusion in Albiceleste coach Jose Pekerman's squad for Germany 2006.

However, he scored 21 times for Inter this season and is confident he can reproduce that form at the highest level.

"If you analyse what everybody thought in Argentina, nobody believed I would be selected," said Cruz.

"That's why I want to thank Jose Pekerman for trusting in me. I'm delighted, because I lived a different situation four years ago.

"This is payback for me. I won it (the place in the squad) thanks to my hard work and sacrifice in the last eight or nine months."