Pablo Aimar was a graceful Argentine playmaker whose close control and imagination made him one of the most admired number tens of his time. A star at Valencia, he brought creativity and elegance to a side that won La Liga and reached the summit of European football.
Later spells took him to Real Zaragoza and Benfica, where he won a Portuguese title, and he was cited by no less than Lionel Messi as a boyhood idol, a mark of the artistry that defined his game.