At the age of 12 or 13, Lionel Messi was playing in the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys, dreaming of turning professional and following in the footsteps of his idol: Pablo Aimar.
Back then, El Payaso wore River Plate’s No10 and, alongside Juan Pablo Angel and Javier Saviola, formed one of the most thrilling forward lines in South American football.
As a youth player for Argentina, Aimar played a key role in triumph at the FIFA U-20 World Cup™ in 1997, teaming up brilliantly with Boca Juniors’ star Juan Roman Riquelme.
Twenty-five years on, that admiration has not so much faded as changed shape. They shared a dressing room at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ and the 2007 CONMEBOL Copa America, and later crossed paths as opponents when Aimar was at Valencia and La Pulga was just starting out at Barcelona. Now they are once again chasing the same dream.
As Lionel Scaloni’s assistant with the national side, Aimar takes pride in several things – one of which is being Messi’s idol. Another is the privilege of watching him up close since 2018. As time ticks along, Messi continues to break records while playing with the freshness of a footballer at the start of his journey. As Aimar put it: “Messi has made us expect the unexpected.”
At 46, Aimar is Scaloni’s right-hand man, part of a backroom that includes fellow former Argentina internationals Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala. The former Valencia and River Plate player brings his technical and tactical expertise to the team, while also serving as a natural conduit between staff and squad.
“The thought that I was Messi’s idol makes me so proud,” Aimar told FIFA. “I once read that [Zinedine] Zidane had said something similar about Enzo Francescoli, and I thought, ‘How must he feel knowing that such a brilliant player speaks so highly of him?’ To hear Messi say it fills me with pride.”
He added: “We played together and later found ourselves on opposite sides. There’s an unspoken understanding there. I truly admire him, not just for his footballing ability, but for who he is as a person.”
Following Scaloni’s arrival as head coach, Argentina brought an end to a 28-year drought by winning the Copa America in 2021. Since then, it has been triumph after triumph for a squad that had been plagued by numerous setbacks. “What Messi does is difficult to replicate, but it’s even trickier to do it in matches under pressure.”
“After spending several years with Argentina, everyone feels that this is where we want to be. That commitment and that mindset have been rewarded with titles. I don’t know if there’s anything better than that. It makes us unbelievably happy,” said Aimar, who is also in charge of Argentina’s youth teams.
When asked about the which saw Argentina and Messi shine with a hat-trick, he commented: “We’re delighted to have got off to a good start. We’re feeling calm – but not too calm – because you can never be completely at peace. There’s the satisfaction of a good performance and the reassurance of having a top-class player.”
Looking ahead to group contests against Austria and Jordan at , Aimar said: “What matters most to us is that things go well on the pitch. But the journey is important too, because football can define you, one way or another. If you don’t enjoy that time, you’ve wasted 40 days of your life. A good atmosphere is key because, as well as competing, we’re sharing a part of our lives.”
Aimar also has nothing but praise for Scaloni, a team-mate in Jose Pekerman’s successful youth sides of the 1990s. “He has put together a fantastic team and a group of people who share the same vision, which is very difficult to achieve. He radiates confidence and calm.”
Sources: FIFA Official
