Arca looks back on his time in the North-East

IT'S not unusual to hear stories of foreign footballers struggling to adapt to a new life in England and subsequently moving on quickly, but if there was ever a better example to suggest it is possible, then look no further than Julio Arca.

As a fresh-faced 18-year-old, Arca arrived in England from Argentina without a word of English and yet he leaves 13 years later with nothing but kind words and a huge amount of respect from both sides of a fierce divide.

For more than a decade Arca has endeared himself to those on Wearside and Teesside and even when the going got tough and moving on might have seemed like an easy option, he simply chose to stay.

However, every era must eventually come to an end and last week the curtain came down on the Argentine's time in the region when his contract at Middlesbrough was terminated by mutual consent, ending a seven-year stint at the Riverside.

Julio Arca signs for Middlesbrough in 2006

There have been some amazing highs and some considerable lows during Arca's time with both clubs, but the fact he admits that given the chance he would do it all over again, makes it easy to understand why the versatile midfielder now regards himself as an adopted North-Easterner.

There may be some gaps in Arca's career - despite a promising time with the youth-set up in Argentina, he never went on to earn a full international cap - but rather than look back at the 'what ifs', the 32-year-old prefers to talk about what he has achieved.

"I always say things happen for a reason," said Arca, whose career at Boro ultimately ended because of a troublesome toe injury.

"I didn't get to play for the full international team and people wouldn't believe me for saying this, but if I had to do what I've done since 2000, I would probably do it all over again. I believe that I've had quite a good career and if I had to go back I would make the same decisions.

"Arriving to England in 2000, English football wasn't as big as it is now, Spain and Italy were probably bigger, but for me it was a massive step to come to the Premier League and from then I just wanted to progress every year.

"If I'm honest I didn't expect to be here this long, but it happens you know. Year after year I would question whether I would leave at the end of the season, but it never happened and every year that was passing I was getting more and more comfortable and I was happy to be here.

"I've been in the North-East for a long time, I've enjoyed every year, every year was different, but I've had some good times. I obviously got used to life here!

"I guess you could say I'm an adopted North-Easterner, it's been my second home. I've spent almost half my left here and like anything you have to get used to it."

Arca's journey began when Peter Reid signed him for £3.5m and in his first season on Wearside, the former Argentina youth team captain tasted how good life in the Premier League can be after finishing seventh with the Black Cats, missing out on a place in Europe by two points.

After suffering relegation twice with the Wearsiders, the time came for Arca to move on, but the South American didn't go far when Gareth Southgate made him his first signing after guiding the Teessiders back to the Premier League.

Just as he had at Sunderland, Arca quickly became a favourite with fans after recovering from a broken foot sustained in his first start for the club, and although he had traded Wearside for Teesside, he remained well-liked by Black Cats fans.

Julio Arca celebrates after scoring against Reading at the Stadium of Light

Arca puts his fantastic relationship with both sets of fans down to his hard work and commitment to the cause, as well as that bit of South-American flair supporters loved to see.

"It doesn't happen all the time, but I think what I realised is that people in the North-East, whoever you've played for people will forget if you work hard for the club and that's what I tried to do," said Arca, who still attends matches at the Stadium of Light. "It doesn't always go the way you want but if you give your everything the fans see that and appreciate that."

Unfortunately, history repeated itself for Arca when, after an initially good start on Teesside, Boro were relegated back to the Championship.

Since then, Arca has been part of the squad trying to win promotion back to the top-flight, but a Capital One Cup tie earlier this season proved to be his final appearance after he suffered a toe injury that has failed to heal.

It is certainly not the way Arca wanted to end his career in the North-East and having sat in the stands watching his final game at the Riverside last weekend, the Argentine regrets that his final act for Boro wasn't to help them secure promotion.

"As a player you never want a season to go that way. Of course I want to play, you want to every week and it is disappointing not to have played one last game in the Riverside.

"I'm a passionate player, I want to be involved. I'm not a lazy player that sits and waits for the season to end. I'm still disappointed that I couldn't perform more for the team but I explained to the manager that I tried everything and it didn't work out."

Arca will return to Argentina over the summer in a bid to complete a full recovery, and he admitted a return to England isn't off the cards.

If his rehabilitation goes to plan, Arca may even return to the Stadium of Light or the Riverside as part of the opposition one day and if he does, he will certainly receive the warmest of welcomes.