"Pablo Cesar Aimar"

Pablo Aimar
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Season Club Games Goals
1996–2001 River Plate 82 21
2001–2006 Valencia CF 162 27
2006–Present Real Zaragoza 33 6
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.

Years National Team Games Goals
1999–Present Argentina 50 8
Real Zaragoza in 2006.
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.