Throwback Thursday: Pablo Aimar

Throwback Thursday: Pablo Aimar

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.

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Born on 3 November 1979 in Rio Cuarto.
In 1997, Pablo started his professional career at River Plate, from the youth system of which he came. Aimar was quick to establish himself as a first team member and he helped his club win the 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.
For the three seasons with the club, he scored 22 goals in 82 matches.

In 2001, the Argentine footballer signed a five-year contract with Valencia. The Spanish club had noticed the talented footballer long ago and made it a priority to buy out his contract. Pablo didn’t disappoint the management, immediately becoming one of the team’s anchor players. The head coach underscored his vast array of skills. The midfielder had also proved himself to be a top score, amassing 34 goals in 162 games over the contract’s spell.

His next destination would find him at Zaragoza in 2006. At that time his shape left much to be desired, actually, that was what caused his move from Valencia. But Pablo didn’t give up and tried to restore confidence in his professional skills. Within some time, the midfielder was back to fit and various European clubs got interested in him.

In 2008, Aimar ended his spell with Zaragoza by a move to Benfica for a fee of €6.5. His good physical conditions helped him to clinch the place in the first eleven. Since 2008, the footballer made more than 100 appearances and scored 12 goals.

In the summer 2013, aged 33, Aimar joined a Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Takzim FC.

International Career:

The midfielder used to represent Argentina at an international level. Since 1999 up till 2009, he was caped 52 times for the national team, scoring 8 goals.