Maradona has repeatedly said he has plenty of attacking players and has regularly listed his preference for Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero - his son-in-law - Diego Milito and Lisandro Lopez.

'When I think it's Higuain's moment, I'll call him,' Maradona said in an interview on Radio Del Plata. 'Pardon me gentlemen of the press, but the guy calling the shots is me.'

Higuain was born in France when his father, Jorge, was playing for Brest.

He refused an invitation to play for France in a friendly against Greece in 2006 because he said he wanted to play for Argentina.

Argentina plays at home against Colombia on June 6 in a World Cup qualifier, and then plays four days later at Ecuador.

Argentina is in fourth place in South American qualifying, behind Paraguay, Brazil and Chile. The top four South American teams automatically advance to the finals in South Africa. The fifth-place team faces the fourth-place team from North America, Central American and the Caribbean in a home-and-away playoff for a spot in South Africa. -- AP