4. Pablo Aimar: ’97 – 2000 & 2015: 83 apps 21 gls
– El Payoso – the clown
Aimar rejected a place at medical school to pursue his career in football when he rose through the River Plate youth ranks. The Number 10 quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in Argentina, with his close-control dribbling and defence-splitting passes.
He spent three seasons at the club, forming one of the most devastating attacking trios (alongside Javier Saviola and Juan Pablo Angel) Argentina had seen in a generation. The three were dubbed the ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’ after the country’s legendary trio of the 1950s, which included River Plate legend Omar Sivori, as well as Antonio Angelillo and Humberto Maschio.
Unfortunately for River fans, the trio was broken up before having the chance to try and dominate the continent, with Aimar the first to leave for Europe in 2000. Like everyone on this list however, he returned to River in 2015, making just one more appearance as a substitute, due to the injuries that had blighted his career.
