Pablo Aimar Biography
– Introduction Ever since Diego
Maradona retired from soccer, the Argentinean fans throughout
the World have constantly looked for a legitimate "heir" of the great
playmaker and several contenders came to fight for the title
of "new Maradona". The most important young players that fall under
this category are Tevez, Messi and Pablo Cesar Aimar &
it's the latter that I'll focus on in this biography.
Pablo Aimar Biography – River Plate Unlike most of the other Argentinean
players
that rose to stardom, Aimar did not come from a very poor family. He
received a good education from his parents and he was very close to
getting into med school, but at the same time he continued training for
soccer with a remarkable passion.
After spending a few years at the youth department of River Plate, he
made the move to the senior team in 1996. In his first year as a
professional soccer player, Aimar was quick to establish himself as a
first team member and he helped his club win the Argentinean
title (winning both the Apertura and Clausura seasons). He
also got the taste of trophy-winning, when River Plate came on top of
the Copa Libertadores.
Full
name
Pablo
Cesar Aimar
Date
of birth
November
3, 1979
Place
of birth
Rio
Cuarto, Argentina
Height
5.7FT
- 1.70M
Playing
position
Attacking
midfielder
In the 5 seasons playing in Argentina, Pablo Aimar made a name for
himself and was considered one of the best young players in the country
and a possible successor of Maradona. Actually, Maradona himself stated
that Aimar is his "legitimate successor as the world's best player" and
although flattering, this statement meant a ton of pressure
on the young soccer player's shoulders. Added to this, came his
transfer to Europe, where he would play for Valencia CF in Spain as of
2001.
Pablo Aimar Biography
– Valencia CF When Aimar came to Valencia, he
found the team
at the end of a transition period. They were finally ready to fight for
the League against the likes of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and the
club also had high hopes for Champions League that year. Aimar fit
right into the mostly-Spanish Valencia squad and he put all his efforts
in achieving the club's goals.
Season
Club
Games
Goals
1996–2001
River
Plate
82
21
2001–2006
Valencia
CF
162
27
2006–Present
Real
Zaragoza
33
6
Many believe that Valencia's
2001-2002 league title would have never
been possible if not for Aimar's contribution.
Aimar and Valencia almost obtained their second goal as well, that of
winning the Champions League, but unfortunately they lost the final
against Bayern Munich.
Pablo Aimar Biography
– National Team and Zaragoza Playing for the Argentine
national side since
1999, Aimar has gathered up close to 50 caps under his belt so far,
scoring 8 goals and participating in two World Cups (2002 and 2006). In
the past two years however, the hype surrounding Aimar has died down
and the player lost some of his form, which made Valencia sell him to
league-rivals Real Zaragoza in 2006.
Years
National
Team
Games
Goals
1999–Present
Argentina
50
8
In his first and so far only
season with Zaragoza, Aimar played 33
league matches and scored 6 goals, but also contributed to several
others with his passes and he is slowly regaining the form that made
Maradona call him his rightful successor once.
