Nicknamed 'El Mago' The Wizard in his homeland of Chile, Luis Jimenez is widely renowned as one of the most exciting talents in South American football.

Blessed with the ability to beat players with ease, Jimenez joined West Ham United on a season-long loan from Italian Serie A champions Internazionale in July and made his competitive debut in the 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 15 August 2009.

Born in the Chilean capital Santiago in June 1984, Jimenez began his career with Palestino in his homeland in 2000 before moving to Europe with Serie B side Ternana Calcio in 2002. He spent five seasons with Paolo Di Canio's former club, scoring 25 goals in 88 first-team appearances.

After being named in his country's squad for the 2004 Copa America, Jimenez moved to ACF Fiorentina for the second half of the 2005/06 season, scoring three goals in 19 Serie A appearances for the Viola. That season also saw him voted as Chile's Player of the Year.

Jimenez moved to Lazio in January 2007, netting two goals in 16 loan appearances for the Biancocelesti. He joined Inter on loan at the start of the 2007/08 season and enjoyed a successful first campaign at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, scoring three goals in 15 Serie A appearances and also netting in the 3-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Fenerbahce in November 2007.

The Nerazzurri made Jimenez's move to Milan permanent in the summer of 2008, with Inter claiming the title in his first campaign.

At international level, Jimenez made his full debut for Chile against Peru on 28 April 2004, going on to be named in his country's squad for the 2004 Copa America in Peru. To date, he has scored twice in 20 matches.

He went on to appear in five of his country's qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the 2-1 home win over Venezuela, and became national team captain at the age of 22. He has appeared in two 2010 qualifiers so far. Marcelo Bielsa's side are riding high in second in the South American qualifying standings, a point behind leaders Brazil. The top five teams qualify automatically for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.