'Messi has made us expect the unexpected'

Lionel Messi grew up idolising Pablo Aimar.

As a youngster at Newell's Old Boys, he watched the gifted playmaker light up Argentine football in River Plate's famous No. 10 shirt and dreamt of following in his footsteps.

Twenty-five years later, the two are still chasing football's biggest prizes together.

Now Lionel Scaloni's assistant with Argentina, Aimar enjoys a unique place within the world champions' set-up. Not only was he Messi's childhood hero, but he has also had a front-row seat to the captain's extraordinary journey since joining the national team's coaching staff in 2018.

As Aimar puts it: "Messi has made us expect the unexpected."

Aimar, now 46, forms part of Scaloni's trusted coaching staff alongside former Argentina internationals Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala. The former River Plate and Valencia playmaker provides technical and tactical expertise while also serving as a natural link between the players and coaches.

"The fact that I was Messi's idol makes me incredibly proud," Aimar told FIFA.

"I once read that Zinedine Zidane had said something similar about Enzo Francescoli, and I wondered how it must feel to know that such a great player speaks so highly of you. To hear Messi say it fills me with pride."

The pair later became team-mates with Argentina, sharing a dressing room at the 2006 World Cup and the 2007 Copa América, before facing each other as opponents when Aimar was at Valencia and Messi was emerging as a star at Barcelona.

"We played together and later found ourselves on opposite sides," Aimar said.

"There's an unspoken understanding between us. I admire him enormously, not only for his footballing ability but also for the person he is."

Under Scaloni, Argentina ended a 28-year wait for a major international trophy by winning the Copa América in 2021. Since then, the Albiceleste have enjoyed a period of sustained success, with Messi continuing to lead from the front.

"What Messi does is difficult to replicate, but it is even harder to do it consistently in high-pressure matches," Aimar said.

"After several years with the national team, everyone feels this is where they want to be. That commitment and mentality have been rewarded with trophies. I don't know if there is anything better than that. It makes us immensely happy."

Argentina began their latest World Cup campaign in style with a 3-0 victory, inspired by a Messi hat-trick.

"We're delighted to have started well," Aimar said. "We're calm, but not too calm, because you can never be completely relaxed. There is satisfaction from a strong performance and reassurance in having a world-class player."

Looking ahead to group-stage matches against Austria and Jordan, Aimar stressed the importance of enjoying the experience as well as competing.

"What matters most is that things go well on the pitch. But the journey is important too, because football can shape you in one way or another. If you don't enjoy that time, you've wasted 40 days of your life.

"A good atmosphere is essential because, while we're competing, we're also sharing an important part of our lives together."