MONTEVIDEO -- Former Argentina international midfielder Andres D'Alessandro has joined Uruguayan side Nacional after ending his 12-year spell at Brazil's Internacional.

The 39-year-old agreed to a one-year deal with the Montevideo outfit, extending his professional career to a 21st year.

"Today I can tell you that I've found my new challenge," D'Alessandro said in a social media post. "I knew that I had to go to a club equally as successful (as Internacional) and that's what has happened."

D'Alessandro, who helped Argentina win the gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics, left Internacional last month after 515 matches and 95 goals with the Porto Alegre side.

He has been capped 25 times for Argentina's national team in a career that has also included spells at River Plate, Wolfsburg and Portsmouth, among other clubs.