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Pablo Aimar

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Template:Spanish name

Pablo Aimar
Aimar playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2014
Personal information
Full name Pablo César Aimar Giordano
Date of birth (1979-11-03) 3 November 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Río Cuarto, Argentina
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1985–1993 Estudiantes Río Cuarto
1993–1997 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2000 River Plate 82 (21)
2001–2006 Valencia 162 (27)
2006–2008 Zaragoza 53 (5)
2008–2013 Benfica 107 (12)
2013–2014 Johor Darul Ta'zim 8 (2)
2015 River Plate 1 (0)
Total 413 (67)
International career
1995 Argentina U17 6 (2)
1997 Argentina U20 7 (1)
1999–2009 Argentina 52 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pablo César Aimar Giordano (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpaβlo aiˈmar]; born 3 November 1979) is a former Argentine professional footballer.

A technically gifted and creative attacking midfielder with a vast array of skills,[1] Aimar excelled as an advanced playmaker, where he was best able to utilise his dribbling, vision, and passing ability to create chances for team-mates. Due to his talent and flamboyance, he was given the nicknames El Payaso (the clown) and "El Mago" (the wizard) throughout his career.[2] As a youth, compatriot Lionel Messi stated in 2002 that Aimar was one of his biggest influences as a player.[3]

After starting his senior career at River Plate in 1996, he amassed La Liga totals of 215 games and 32 goals over eight seasons with Valencia and Real Zaragoza between 2001 and 2008, before spending five years in Portugal with Benfica, winning nine major titles between the three teams.

Aimar earned 52 caps for Argentina over ten years, representing the nation in two World Cups and as many Copa América tournaments, as well as a Confederations Cup. He reached the final of the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2007 Copa América with the Argentine national side.

Club career

River Plate

Born in Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Aimar began playing football semi-professionally for hometown club, Estudiantes de Río Cuarto. It was there that he was spotted by River Plate and offered the chance to join the club's academy. Aimar's father initially prevented him from joining River as he felt he was too young to be playing football, but relented after manager Daniel Passarella personally asked him to allow his son to play. Having turned down the opportunity to attend medical school to pursue a career in football, Aimar made his debut for River on 11 August 1996 against Club Atlético Colón.[4][5] His first goal for the club came on 20 February 1998 against Rosario Central.[4] Aimar lifted five titles with River between 1996 and 2000, scoring 22 goals in 87 across all competitions appearances for the club, with his final appearance coming on 17 December 2000 in a 3-2 loss to Lanús.[4]

Valencia

In January 2001, Spanish La Liga side Valencia signed Aimar from River for a fee of €24 million (£13 million).[6] In February he made his debut for the club against Manchester United and drew praise from three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff for his performance after the match. The following weekend he scored on his La Liga debut, netting in a 2–0 away win over Las Palmas.[7] Aimar immediately became a key figure in Valencia's midfield under Rafa Benítez and helped the club reach the 2001 UEFA Champions League Final where they lost to Bayern Munich on penalties.[6] During the following campaign, in what was his first full season with the club, Aimar appeared in 33 league games and scored 4 goals as Valencia were crowned 2001–02 La Liga Champions for the first time in 31 years.[5][6] He ended as the club's second highest goal scorer across all competitions for the season behind Rubén Baraja.[6]

"Pablo is the only current footballer I'd pay to watch. He’s been the best player in Argentina over the last couple of years and is even more talented than Riquelme or Saviola.

— Diego Maradona in a 2003 interview with World Soccer.[8]

During the following season's Champions League, Aimar jointly topped the assists log alongside Rui Costa of A.C. Milan with 5 assists to his name. It was a disappointing campaign for Valencia, though, as they were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals and ended the league season in fifth place. However, it would soon be forgotten, as Valencia stormed to League and UEFA Cup double the following season.[6] Despite making more than 30 appearances for the season and playing an influential role in the club's UEFA Cup triumph, Aimar was sidelined for large parts of the season in what was to set an injury-plagued tone to his career.[9]

Following a breakdown between Benítez and Valencia's sporting director Jesús García Pitarch, the former left his position at the club and was replaced by Italian manager Claudio Ranieri for the 2004–05 season. A combination of injury concerns and tactical changes from the manager saw Aimar struggle under Ranieri and found himself being as employed as a substitute more frequently than before.[6] The Italian departed the club in February and was replaced by Antonio López who in turn was replaced by Quique Sánchez Flores for the following season. With Valencia in decline, Aimar decided to leave the club at the end of the 2005–06 season having amassed over 200 appearances for the club over the course of five-and-a-half seasons.

Zaragoza

In the summer of 2006, Aimar joined fellow top flight club Real Zaragoza on a four-year deal for a reported fee of €11 million, with the club describing the deal as the most important signing in the club's history.[10] At Zaragoza he was reunited with compatriot and former Valencia teammate, Roberto Ayala who himself had joined the club earlier in the month.[11] He made his league debut on 27 August in a 2–3 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña and went on to make 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring 5 goals along the way. The following season was a disastrous one for Aimar and Zaragoza as the club, fraught with poor performances and financial mismanagement were relegated from La Liga.[12] Zaragoza's relegation saw Aimar bring an end to his time in Aragon, having made 57 appearances during his two-season stay with the club. During his stint with Zaragoza he obtained dual-Spanish nationality, having lived in the country since 2001.[13]

Benfica

Aimar playing for Benfica in 2012

On 17 July 2008, Aimar signed a four-year contract with S.L. Benfica from Portugal, for a fee of €6.5 million.[14] After struggling with injuries to start the 2008–09 season, he finished strongly.[15][clarification needed]

In the 2009–10 campaign, Aimar was reunited with former River Plate teammate Javier Saviola, who was let go by Real Madrid following his own injury struggles.[15] The two combined as double trequartista to support striker Óscar Cardozo, along with fellow Argentine Ángel Di María on the wing.[16] Saviola said of Aimar, "I have never played with another player who knows where I'm going to be or just lifts his head knowing where I'm going to."[17] Benfica won the club's 32nd championship following a five-year wait. He played 46 games in the 2010–11 season in all competitions and scored seven goals, winning the Taça da Liga.

On 6 June 2013, after 179 official appearances and 17 goals, 33-year-old Aimar announced he was leaving Benfica, thanking the club for "five wonderful years."[18]

Johor Darul Ta'zim

On 7 August 2013, Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, the president of Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim, confirmed that Aimar had signed a two-year contract with the team.[19] Upon arrival he became the highest paid player ever to feature in the Malaysia Super League.[20] He made his debut in the league six months after signing, in a 2–0 win against Perak FA.[21] Prior to making his debut, Aimar had previously played at the Larkin Satdium, home of Johor, before with Argentina in the 1997 Youth World Cup.[21] He ultimately made 8 appearances for the club and scored two goals before a spate of injuries resulted in him being released on 21 April 2014.[22] Aimar did earn a Champions Medal for his time with JDT, though, as the club went on to lift the Super League title at the end of the season.

Return to River Plate

On 5 January 2015, Aimar returned to River Plate for the club's pre-season training, stating that he would sign with the club only if he could deal with the physical demand after having undergone surgeries to his heel and not having played since leaving Johor Darul in April 2014.[23] On 31 May, he played as substitute in a home win against Rosario Central in Primera División.[24] Aimar announced his retirement on 14 July 2015 after River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo informed him that he was not included in the club's squad for the semi-final stage of the Copa Libertadores. Gallardo said Aimar was "suffering" and had struggled with injuries through the preseason.[25]

International career

Aimar first represented Argentina at youth levels. Along with future senior team stars Esteban Cambiasso and Juan Román Riquelme he won the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, and went on to gain over 50 full caps since his debut in 1999;[26] he played in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

In the 2002 World Cup, for which he was picked ahead of Riquelme, Aimar appeared against England, subbing in for Juan Sebastián Verón in the 0–1 loss, which led coach Marcelo Bielsa to start him against Sweden at the latter's expense.

Aimar scored the last goal of the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup during Argentina's 1–4 loss in the final to champions Brazil, also appearing with the national side in the 2007 Copa América (losing in the final to the same team, this time 0–3).

After several months in the sidelines, Aimar received another international callup in October 2009, for decisive 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay. In the match against the former he repaid the faith placed in him by coach Diego Maradona, assisting Gonzalo Higuaín for Argentina's opener with a through ball, in an eventual 2–1 win.

Personal life

Aimar's younger brother, Andrés, is also a professional footballer and a midfielder. He represented several teams in his country – starting his career at River Plate – also playing for a few months in Israel.[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of 8 August 2016[28][29]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
River Plate 1996–97 1 0
1997–98 16 4
1998–99 18 2
1999–00 32 13
2000–01 15 2 5 1 20 3
Total 82 21 5 1 87 22
Valencia 2000–01 10 2 — — — 10 2
2001–02 33 4 1 0 6 2 — 40 6
2002–03 31 8 2 0 11 3 — 44 11
2003–04 25 4 5 0 8 0 — 38 4
2004–05 31 4 1 0 6 2 — 37 6
2005–06 32 5 2 0 1 0 — 35 5
Total 162 27 10 0 32 7 — 204 34
Zaragoza 2006–07 31 5 1 0 — — 32 5
2007–08 22 0 2 0 1 0 — 25 0
Total 53 5 3 0 1 0 — 57 5
Benfica 2008–09 22 1 2 0 1 0 4 1 29 2
2009–10 25 4 1 0 11 1 4 0 41 5
2010–11 23 5 6 1 12 1 5 0 461 7
2011–12 24 2 2 0 12 1 4 0 42 3
2012–13 13 0 3 0 3 0 2 0 21 0
Total 107 12 14 1 39 3 18 1 179 17
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2014 8 2 0 0 — — 8 2
River Plate 2015 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
Career Total 413 67 27 1 77 11 18 1 536 80

1 includes one match in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

International

Argentina
Year Apps Goals
1999 2 0
2000 5 1
2001 8 0
2002 6 1
2003 9 4
2004 2 0
2005 6 1
2006 6 0
2007 7 1
2009 1 0
Total 52 8

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 16 August 2000 Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina  Paraguay 1–1 1–1 2002 World Cup qualification
2. 27 March 2002 Geneva, Switzerland  Cameroon 2–1 2–2 Friendly
3. 30 April 2003 June 11 Stadium, Tripoli, Libya  Libya 3–1 3–1 Friendly
4. 6 September 2003 Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina  Chile 2–0 2–2 2006 World Cup qualification
5. 9 September 2003 Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela  Venezuela 1–0 3–0 2006 World Cup qualification
6. 15 November 2003 Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina  Bolivia 3–0 3–0 2006 World Cup qualification
7. 29 June 2005 Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany  Brazil 1–4 1–4 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
8. 28 June 2007 José Pachenco Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela  United States 3–1 4–1 2007 Copa América

Honours

Club

River Plate[4]
Valencia
Benfica
Johor Darul Ta'zim

International

Argentina U-17
Argentina U-20
Argentina

Individual

References

  1. ^ Aimar's divine improvisation; UEFA.com, 23 September 2004
  2. ^ "Da "Nuovi Maradona" a "Nuovi Borghi": Pablo Aimar". Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Aimar, Messi's childhood idol". Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "Tras casi 15 años, Aimar vuelve a vestir la casaca de River". Goal Argentina (in Spanish). 29 May 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  5. ^ a b Shams Al-Deen, Abdullah (16 June 2009). "Where In The World Is Pablo Aimar?". Goal US. Retrieved 1 September 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f Brassell, Andy (6 April 2010). "Benitez welcomes former protege Aimar to Anfield". ESPN FC. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ^ Davies, Christopher (19 February 2001). "Aimar aims for immediate impact". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  8. ^ [1]. World Soccer. Retrieved 30 September 2016
  9. ^ Hunter, Graham (23 September 2004). "Aimar's divine improvisation". UEFA. Retrieved 30 September 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Aimar adds zest for Zaragoza". UEFA. 29 July 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Ayala será jugador del Real Zaragoza". Real Zaragoza (in Spanish). 14 July 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  12. ^ Rainbow, Jamie (27 July 2011). "Real Zaragoza: where did it all go wrong?". World Soccer. Retrieved 5 September 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Aimar jura la Constitución y será jugador comunitario". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 14 June 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  14. ^ Aimar leaves Zaragoza for Benfica; UEFA.com, 17 July 2008
  15. ^ a b Marcotti, Gabriele (20 April 2010). "Portugal's Benfica Helped by Reunion of River Plate Teammates". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  16. ^ Cox, Michael (2 March 2010). "Benfica – the most attractive side in Europe?". Zonal Marking. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Aimar and Saviola of one mind for Benfica". UEFA. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Pablo Aimar despede-se do Benfica: "Foram cinco anos maravilhosos"" (in Portuguese). A Bola. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Afiq, Nik (7 August 2013). "Tunku Ismail Ibrahim has confirmed that the former Benfica player, Pablo Aimar, will join Johor Darul Takzim next season". Goal. Retrieved 10 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Football: Johor Darul Takzim sign Aimar in biggest-ever deal in M'sia for foreign player". Straits Times. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  21. ^ a b Zainal, Zulhilmi (18 January 2014). "Johor Darul Ta'zim 2–0 Perak: Southern Tigers overcome defensive Seladangs". Goal. Retrieved 22 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "JDT axe under-par Argentine Aimar". The Star. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Aimar: I am anxious to play but I need to be in form". Buenos Aires Herald. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  24. ^ http://www.soccerway.com/matches/2015/05/31/argentina/primera-division/club-atletico-river-plate/club-atletico-rosario-central/1978349/
  25. ^ "River Plate's Aimar announces retirement". FourFourTwo. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  26. ^ Argentina – Record International Players; at RSSSF Archived 17 January 2010 at WebCite
  27. ^ "Pablo Aimar: "Cuando hablamos con Andrés le digo que Estudiantes va a salir de esta situación"" (in Spanish). Telediario Digital. June 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "P. Aimar". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  29. ^ Pablo Aimar at ESPN FC
  30. ^ "South American Team of the Year". 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  31. ^ "Galardões Cosme Damião distinguem Chalana e Aimar" [Galardões Cosme Damião distinguish Chalana and Aimar]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 28 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
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