Pablo Aimar: Messi has made us expect the unexpected

Pablo Aimar, assistant coach of the Argentina national team, has spoken about his unique relationship with captain Lionel Messi, who once idolized him as a young player. Aimar, now 46, serves as Lionel Scaloni's right-hand man and is part of a coaching staff that includes former internationals Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala.

A childhood idol becomes a teammate

At the age of 12 or 13, 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, Aimar—nicknamed El Payaso—wore River Plate's No. 10 jersey and, alongside Juan Pablo Ángel 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 the country's triumph at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1997, teaming up brilliantly with Boca Juniors' star Juan Román Riquelme.

Twenty-five years later, that admiration has not so much faded as changed shape. Aimar and Messi shared a dressing room at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2007 CONMEBOL Copa América, and later crossed paths as opponents when Aimar was at Valencia and Messi was just starting out at Barcelona. Now they are once again chasing the same dream as part of the Argentina coaching staff.

Pride in being Messi's idol

As Scaloni's assistant since 2018, Aimar takes pride in several things—one of which is being Messi's idol. Another is the privilege of watching him up close. 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.”

“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.”

Argentina's recent success and team spirit

Following Scaloni's arrival as head coach, Argentina ended a 28-year drought by winning the Copa América 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,” Aimar noted.

“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 also oversees Argentina's youth teams.

When asked about the team's opening match—a 3-0 win in which Messi scored a hat-trick—Aimar 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 this year's tournament, 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.”

Praise for Scaloni

Aimar also had nothing but praise for Scaloni, a former teammate in José Pékerman'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,” Aimar said.