Pablo César Aimar Giordano (born 3 November 1979 in Río Cuarto, Córdoba) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the Portuguese first division.
An attacking midfielder with a vast array of skills,[1] he also holds a Spanish passport
Club career
Aimar began his ascent to stardom with Club Atlético River Plate, whose first team he joined for the 1997–98 season, after rejecting a place at medical school, and with whom he quickly established himself as one of the best young players in Argentina.
Valencia CF of Spain signed Aimar in January 2001, at a price of €24 million. The purchase proved justified, as Aimar helped lead the team to a first-place finish in 2001–02 (with 33 matches and four goals), as well as to a runners-up finish in the previous seasons's UEFA Champions League, being defeated by FC Bayern Munich. Aimar also won the 2004 UEFA Cup, appearing in eight (scoreless) matches during the campaign; this included the final against Olympique de Marseille, where he replaced Francisco Rufete with 30 minutes to go.
On 12 April 2006, Aimar was hospitalized after being diagnosed with acute viral meningitis, but made a quick recovery and returned to play for his team. During his career with the Che, he was also often troubled with injuries.[4][5][6]
During the summer of 2006, Aimar joined fellow La Liga club Real Zaragoza for €12 million. The Aragonese side relegated at the end of 2007–08, with the playmaker appearing in 22 scoreless matches, while also often hindered with injuries;[8] during that campaign, he teamed up with former Valencia teammate Roberto Ayala.
On 17 July 2008, after a period of intense negotiations, Aimar signed a four-year contract with Portuguese side S.L. Benfica for a fee of €6.5 million.[9] After a difficult first half of the season, he managed to defeat his constant injuries and finished it in good shape.
In 2009–10, Aimar was in better physical conditions, and displayed a good offensive chemistry with countryman Javier Saviola, newly signed, as Benfica had the best offensive record of the competition, eventually winning the league after a five-year wait.
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. He played in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.
In the 2002 World Cup, for which he was picked ahead of Riquelme, he 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 4–1 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 sublime through ball, in an eventual 2–1 win.
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