"The player I understood the best" - Former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Javier Saviola snubs Lionel Messi as he names 'important' teammate  

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid player Javier Saviola has named former Argentine teammate Pablo Aimar as the player he understood the best on the pitch, snubbing other teammates like Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.

Saviola, who played for some of Europe’s top clubs, had the privilege of sharing the field with numerous world-class players throughout his career. Not only did he share the same nationality with Messi, but he also played with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner during his stint at Barcelona.

Simply put, Javier Saviola and Lionel Messi shared the pitch 11 times throughout their stints together in the Argentina national team and at Barcelona. However, Saviola’s decision to pick Aimar as the most important teammate he played with may not come as a surprise given that he played with the latter more often than he did with Lionel Messi.

Saviola and Aimar played together on 158 occasions across spells at Benfica, River Plate, and Argentina. To Saviola, it was a privilege for him to play alongside Ronaldinho, Messi, and Guti. However, none of the trio was the most important teammate he played alongside.

Saviola said in a recent interview with SPORTbible:

“I have had the privilege and luck of playing alongside Ronaldinho, Messi, Guti, and many other great players beyond Barcelona and Madrid. But for me, the most important partner I played alongside was Pablo Aimar.’’

“We shared time together at River Plate, Benfica, and with the Argentina national team for quite a while. He was the player I understood the best on the pitch," he added.

Saviola went on to heap praise on Ronaldinho while also naming Real Madrid legend Raul as a player he always greatly admired. However, among all these players, Savinho claimed that Lionel Messi was the ''greatest'' of them all.

''I loved him very much'' – When Barcelona legend Lionel Messi named Pablo Aimar as the player he 'admired' the most

Pablo Aimar seems to have endeared himself to some of his Argentine compatriots. In 2024, Lionel Messi picked Aimar as his idol, snubbing the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele.

Aimar was one of Lionel Scaloni’s assistants who played a crucial role in Argentina’s triumph in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is fondly remembered for his emotional moment when Messi scored the opener against Mexico in the group stages.

Speaking to Adidas Football, Messi said:

''Apart from Maradona, who always comes first for Argentines, Pablo Aimar was the player I admired the most. I loved him very much."

Notably, when Aimar retired from the sport in 2015, Messi took to his official Facebook page to hail the compatriot as a great player and one of his idols.

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