Argentine football manager (born 1979)
Pablo Cesar Aimar
(born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional
footballer
and current assistant coach of the
Argentina national team
. During his career, he played as an
attacking midfielder
.
After starting his senior career at
River Plate
in 1996, Aimar amassed
La Liga
totals of 215 games and 32 goals over eight seasons with
Valencia
and
Zaragoza
from 2001 to 2008, before spending five years in Portugal with
Benfica
, winning a combined nine major titles with the three teams.
Aimar earned 52
caps
for the Argentina senior team over ten years, representing the nation in two
FIFA World Cups
and two
Copa America
tournaments, as well as a
FIFA Confederations Cup
. He reached the final of the
2005 Confederations Cup
and the
2007 Copa America
with the Argentine national side.
In 2018, Aimar joined the Argentina national team as an assistant coach. During his tenure, the team won the
2021 Copa America
, the
2022 Finalissima
, and the
2022 World Cup
.
Playing career
[
edit
]
Club career
[
edit
]
River Plate
[
edit
]
Aimar's football career begun in earnest when he was offered the chance to play for
Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto
by youth coach Alfie Mercado.
[2]
He trained with the club's academy three times a week and it was there that he was spotted by
River Plate
who offered the chance to join their own academy.
[2]
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.
[2]
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
Colon
.
[3]
[4]
His first goal for the club came on 20 February 1998 against
Rosario Central
.
[3]
Aimar lifted five titles with River between 1996 and 2000, scoring 21 goals and recording 28
assists
in 82 league appearances for the club, with his final appearance coming on 17 December 2000 in a 3?2 loss to
Lanus
.
[2]
[3]
Valencia
[
edit
]
In January 2001, Spanish
La Liga
side
Valencia
signed Aimar from River for a
club-record
fee of
€
24 million (
£
13 million).
[2]
[5]
He made his debut for the club the following month against
Manchester United
and drew praise from three-time
Ballon d'Or
winner
Johan Cruyff
for his performance after the match.
[2]
The following weekend he scored on his La Liga debut, netting in a 2?0 away win over
Las Palmas
.
[6]
Aimar immediately became a key figure in Valencia's midfield under
Hector Cuper
and helped the club reach the
2001 UEFA Champions League final
, where they lost to
Bayern Munich
on penalties.
[5]
In the season which followed, Cuper left for
Internazionale
, and was replaced by
Rafael Benitez
. Aimar appeared in a total of 33 league games and scored 4 goals as Valencia were crowned
2001?02 La Liga
champions for the first time in 31 years, ending as the club's third-highest goalscorer across all competitions for the season.
[2]
[5]
The season thereafter, Aimar jointly topped the
Champions League
assists table alongside
Rui Costa
of
Milan
with five assists to his name, this despite Valencia being eliminated at the quarter-final stage. The club endured further disappointment by ending the league season in fifth place.
[2]
"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.
[7]
The club's failures were soon forgotten, however, as Valencia completed a league and
UEFA Cup
double
the following season.
[5]
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.
[8]
Following a breakdown between Benitez and Valencia's sporting director Jesus Garcia 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.
[2]
[5]
The Italian departed the club in February and was replaced by
Antonio Lopez
, who in turn was replaced by
Quique Sanchez Flores
for the following season.
[2]
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
[
edit
]
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.
[9]
At Zaragoza, he was reunited with compatriot and former Valencia teammate
Roberto Ayala
, who himself had joined the club earlier in the month.
[10]
Aimar made his league debut on 27 August in a 2?3 away loss against
Deportivo de La Coruna
and went on to make 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and helping the club to a sixth-place finish in the league.
[2]
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
.
[11]
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.
[12]
Benfica
[
edit
]
On 17 July 2008, Aimar signed a four-year contract with Portuguese side
Benfica
for a fee of €6.5 million.
[13]
After struggling with injuries initially, he finished the campaign with a string of strong performances and was able to add a
Taca da Liga
title to his name.
[2]
[14]
In the
2009?10 season
, Aimar was reunited with former River Plate teammate
Javier Saviola
, who was let go by
Real Madrid
following his own injury struggles.
[14]
The two combined as double
trequartista
to support
striker
Oscar Cardozo
alongside fellow Argentine
Angel Di Maria
on the wing.
[15]
The quartet formed the
Primeira Liga
's most dangerous attack, with Benfica scoring 78 goals on their way to a league and cup double.
[2]
"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."
?
Javier Saviola
on his playing relationship with Aimar.
[16]
Aimar had become a fan favourite at the
Estadio da Luz
but injuries continued to plague him, and his game time reduced in the coming seasons. In spite of this, he helped the club to its third and fourth consecutive Taca da Liga titles.
[2]
On 6 June 2013, after 179 official appearances, 17 goals and 34 assists, Aimar announced he was leaving Benfica and thanked the club for "five wonderful years".
[2]
[17]
Johor Darul Ta'zim
[
edit
]
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.
[18]
Upon arrival, he became the highest paid player ever to feature in the
Malaysia Super League
.
[19]
He made his debut in the league six months after signing, in a 2?0 win against
Perak FA
.
[20]
Prior to making his debut, Aimar had previously played at the
Larkin Stadium
, home of Johor, before with Argentina in the 1997 Youth World Cup.
[20]
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.
[21]
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
[
edit
]
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 Ta’zim in April 2014.
[22]
On 31 May, he played as substitute in a home win against
Rosario Central
in the Primera Division.
[23]
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 pre-season.
[24]
Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto
[
edit
]
On 16 January 2018, Aimar played in a friendly match for his youth club
Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto
. After the match, he announced that he would be joining the squad ahead of the
Copa Argentina
fixture against
Sportivo Belgrano
on 23 January, in order to fulfill his wish of making an official appearance for the club where he began and spent eight years.
[25]
The Copa Argentina match took place at Estudiantes' home stadium
Estadio Ciudad de Rio Cuarto
.
[26]
Aimar was picked in the starting line up and wore the captain's armband, coming close to opening the score with a shot that was parried by the goalkeeper, before getting subbed off in the 50th minute.
[27]
The match ended in a goalless draw, which was not enough to see Estudiantes through the next round after a 2?1 loss in the first leg.
[28]
His brother
Andres
was also in the line-up of Estudiantes. Afterwards, Aimar confirmed that he had no intention of making a definitive comeback and that this was indeed his farewell match from football.
[29]
International career
[
edit
]
Aimar first represented
Argentina
at youth levels. Along with future senior team players
Esteban Cambiasso
and
Juan Roman Riquelme
he won the
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
and went on to earn 52 senior caps following his debut in 1999, scoring eight international goals in total.
[2]
[30]
He represented Argentina at the
1999
and
2007
editions of the
Copa America
, at the
2002
and
2006
FIFA World Cups
, and at the
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
.
In the 2002 World Cup, for which he was picked ahead of Riquelme, Aimar appeared against
England
,
subbing in
for
Juan Sebastian Veron
in the 1?0 loss,
[31]
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 4?1 loss in the final to champions
Brazil
.
[32]
He also appeared with the national side in the 2007 Copa America, scoring a goal in a 4?1 win against the
United States
in his team's opening group match of the competition;
[33]
Argentina went on to reach the
final
of the tournament, losing out to Brazil once again, this time 0?3, with Aimar coming on as a second-half substitute for Cambiasso.
[34]
[35]
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 Higuain
for Argentina's opener with a through ball, in an eventual 2?1 win.
Style of play
[
edit
]
An elegant, technically gifted and creative
attacking midfielder
with a small frame, Aimar was a right-footed player with a vast array of skills and an eye for goal.
[36]
[37]
[38]
[40]
He excelled in a free role as an
advanced playmaker
where he was best able to utilise his
dribbling
skills, vision and passing ability to create chances for teammates and orchestrate attacking moves.
[37]
[38]
Moreover, he was a
free kick
specialist.
[41]
His skills and playing style saw him
earn comparisons
with
Diego Maradona
in his youth.
[42]
Due to his talent and flamboyance, he was given the nicknames
El Payaso
(the clown) and
El Mago
(the wizard) throughout his career.
[37]
[43]
As a youth, compatriot
Lionel Messi
stated in 2002 that Aimar was one of his biggest influences as a player.
[37]
[44]
In addition to his playing ability, Aimar also drew praise for his leadership qualities; however, despite his talent, he struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Coaching career
[
edit
]
Aimar was appointed as coach of the
Argentina national under-17 football team
in July 2017.
[45]
His under-17 team won the
South American U-17 Championship
in
2019
.
[46]
He was part of the Argentina managerial team who won the
2022 FIFA World Cup
.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Aimar's younger brother,
Andres
, was 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.
[47]
In October 2022 Aimar's mother died.
[48]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Club
[
edit
]
- Sources:
[49]
[50]
- ^
Includes the
Copa del Rey
,
Supercopa de Espana
,
Taca de Portugal
, and
Copa Argentina
- ^
Includes the
Copa Libertadores
,
Supercopa Sudamericana
,
Copa Mercosur
,
UEFA Champions League
,
UEFA Cup
,
UEFA Super Cup
, and
UEFA Intertoto Cup
- ^
Includes the
Taca da Liga
, and
Supertaca Candido de Oliveira
- ^
Includes two appearances in the
Supercopa de Espana
- ^
Includes one appearance in the
Supercopa de Espana
- ^
Includes one appearance in the
Supertaca Candido de Oliveira
International
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
- Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each Aimar goal.
#
|
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
|
4.
|
6 September 2003
|
Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
|
Chile
|
2?0
|
2?2
|
2006 World Cup qualification
|
5.
|
9 September 2003
|
Estadio Olimpico
,
Caracas
, Venezuela
|
Venezuela
|
1?0
|
3?0
|
6.
|
15 November 2003
|
Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
|
Bolivia
|
3?0
|
3?0
|
7.
|
29 June 2005
|
Waldstadion
,
Frankfurt
, Germany
|
Brazil
|
1?4
|
1?4
|
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
|
8.
|
28 June 2007
|
Jose Pachencho Romero
,
Maracaibo
, Venezuela
|
United States
|
3?1
|
4?1
|
2007 Copa America
|
Managerial
[
edit
]
- As of 27 October 2022
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team
|
From
|
To
|
Record
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Argentina U-17
|
13 July 2017
|
Present
|
20
|
13
|
3
|
4
|
36
|
21
|
+15
|
0
65.00
|
Total
|
20
|
13
|
3
|
4
|
36
|
21
|
+15
|
0
65.00
|
Honours
[
edit
]
Player
[
edit
]
River Plate
[3]
Valencia
Benfica
Johor Darul Ta’zim
Argentina U17
Argentina U20
Argentina
Individual
Managerial
[
edit
]
Argentina
(as assistant manager)
Argentina U17
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Argentina (ARG)"
(PDF)
. FIFA. 23 November 2022. p. 1
. Retrieved
23 November
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
Saleem, Omar (12 May 2017).
"Pablo Aimar: The Elegant Magician who Inspired a Generation"
. These Football Times
. Retrieved
9 January
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Tras casi 15 anos, Aimar vuelve a vestir la casaca de River"
.
Goal Argentina
(in Spanish). 29 May 2015
. Retrieved
2 September
2016
.
- ^
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
)
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Brassell, Andy (6 April 2010).
"Benitez welcomes former protege Aimar to Anfield"
.
ESPN FC
. Retrieved
3 February
2015
.
- ^
Davies, Christopher (19 February 2001).
"Aimar aims for immediate impact"
.
The Telegraph
. Retrieved
3 March
2015
.
- ^
[1]
.
World Soccer
. Retrieved 30 September 2016
- ^
Hunter, Graham (23 September 2004).
"Aimar's divine improvisation"
.
UEFA
. Retrieved
30 September
2016
.
{{
cite news
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Aimar adds zest for Zaragoza"
.
UEFA
. 29 July 2006
. Retrieved
5 September
2016
.
- ^
"Ayala sera jugador del Real Zaragoza"
.
Real Zaragoza
(in Spanish). 14 July 2006. Archived from
the original
on 11 August 2007
. Retrieved
5 September
2016
.
- ^
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
)
- ^
"Aimar jura la Constitucion y sera jugador comunitario"
.
El Periodico de Aragon
(in Spanish). 14 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 26 September 2007
. Retrieved
5 September
2016
.
- ^
Aimar leaves Zaragoza for Benfica
; UEFA.com, 17 July 2008
- ^
a
b
Marcotti, Gabriele
(20 April 2010).
"Portugal's Benfica Helped by Reunion of River Plate Teammates"
.
Wall Street Journal
. Retrieved
3 February
2015
.
- ^
Cox, Michael (2 March 2010).
"Benfica ? the most attractive side in Europe?"
.
Zonal Marking
. Retrieved
3 February
2015
.
- ^
[2]
. UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018
- ^
"Pablo Aimar despede-se do Benfica: "Foram cinco anos maravilhosos"
"
[Pablo Aimar says goodbye to Benfica: "I had five wonderful years"] (in Portuguese).
A Bola
. 6 June 2013
. Retrieved
6 June
2013
.
- ^
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
)
- ^
"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
.
- ^
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
)
- ^
"JDT axe under-par Argentine Aimar"
.
The Star
. 21 April 2016
. Retrieved
5 September
2016
.
- ^
"Aimar: I am anxious to play but I need to be in form"
.
Buenos Aires Herald
. 6 January 2015
. Retrieved
12 January
2015
.
- ^
"River Plate vs. Rosario Central - 31 May 2015 - Soccerway"
.
int.soccerway.com
.
- ^
"River Plate's Aimar announces retirement"
.
FourFourTwo
. 14 July 2015
. Retrieved
16 July
2015
.
- ^
"Pablo Aimar vuelve al futbol para cumplir una cuenta pendiente"
.
Clarin
(in Spanish). 16 January 2018
. Retrieved
17 January
2018
.
- ^
"Estudiantes Rio Cuarto Vs. Sportivo Belgrano 0 - 0"
.
Soccerway
. 23 January 2018
. Retrieved
24 January
2018
.
- ^
"La noche del adios: Pablo Aimar se despidio como futbolista en su querido Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto"
.
La Nacion
(in Spanish). 23 January 2018
. Retrieved
24 January
2018
.
- ^
"Sportivo Belgrano Vs. Estudiantes Rio Cuarto 2 - 1"
.
Soccerway
. 23 January 2018
. Retrieved
24 January
2018
.
- ^
"Pablo Aimar despediu-se com emocao no clube da terra"
.
A Bola
(in Portuguese). 23 January 2018
. Retrieved
24 January
2018
.
- ^
Argentina ? Record International Players
; at
RSSSF
Archived
13 January 2010 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"England's revenge"
. BBC Sport. 7 June 2002
. Retrieved
12 September
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Brazil 4?1 Argentina"
. FIFA.com. 29 June 2005. Archived from
the original
on 30 September 2015
. Retrieved
15 March
2019
.
- ^
"Tevez Nets in Argentina Victory"
. BBC Sport. 29 June 2007
. Retrieved
12 August
2015
.
- ^
"Missing Some Stars, Brazil Wins Copa America"
.
The New York Times
. 16 July 2007
. Retrieved
12 August
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Brazil victorious in Copa America"
. BBC Sport. 16 July 2007
. Retrieved
28 May
2009
.
- ^
Aimar's divine improvisation
; UEFA.com, 23 September 2004
- ^
a
b
c
d
Paul Wilson (16 July 2015).
"Pablo Aimar: the Argentinian wizard admired by Maradona and Messi"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
24 February
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Akash Swamynathan (15 July 2017).
"The brilliance of Pablo 'El Mago' Aimar"
. www.sportskeeda.com
. Retrieved
15 March
2019
.
- ^
"Juan Roman Riquelme: My +10 team"
. FIFA.com. 28 June 2006. Archived from
the original
on 27 March 2019
. Retrieved
16 March
2019
.
- ^
Voss, Jason (24 July 2012).
"What You Need to Know About Milan Target Oscar Cardozo"
. Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
3 November
2021
.
- ^
"Real Zaragoza 3?0 Gimnastic de Tarragona"
.
ESPN
. 19 November 2006. Archived from
the original
on 24 January 2013
. Retrieved
28 December
2012
.
Argentinian Aimar, who moved to Zaragoza from Valencia over the summer, has struggled to live up to his billing as 'the new Maradona' ? one of several players to have been handed that tag ? since moving to Spain.
- ^
"Da "Nuovi Maradona" a "Nuovi Borghi": Pablo Aimar"
(in Italian). Il Pallonaro
. Retrieved
7 February
2015
.
- ^
"Aimar, Messi's childhood idol"
. FC Barcelona
. Retrieved
7 February
2015
.
- ^
"Pablo AIMAR presented as new U17 Argentina coach - Mundo Albiceleste"
.
www.mundoalbiceleste.com
. Retrieved
16 September
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Grainger, James (20 April 2019).
"Argentina crowned champions of 2019 South American U-17 Championship"
.
www.batimes.com.ar
. Retrieved
4 June
2019
.
. He was the assistant coach of the national team in the 2019 Copa America and 2021 Copa America, both held in Brazil, winning the latter.
- ^
"Pablo Aimar: "Cuando hablamos con Andres le digo que Estudiantes va a salir de esta situacion"
"
[Pablo Aimar: "When i talk with Andres i tell him that Estudiantes will turn things around"] (in Spanish). Telediario Digital. June 2011
. Retrieved
22 April
2014
.
- ^
"Pablo Aimar, sus lagrimas y el "ganar es vivir, perder es morir"
"
(in Spanish). 29 November 2022
. Retrieved
1 December
2022
.
- ^
"P. Aimar"
. Soccerway
. Retrieved
22 April
2014
.
- ^
Pablo Aimar
at
ESPN FC
- ^
"South American Team of the Year"
.
RSSSF
. 16 January 2009
. Retrieved
10 March
2015
.
- ^
"Galardoes Cosme Damiao distinguem Chalana e Aimar"
[Galardoes Cosme Damiao distinguish Chalana and Aimar].
SAPO Desporto
(in Portuguese). 28 February 2012
. Retrieved
1 March
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]