It was at Benfica that one saw the best Pablo Aimar

He spread his magic playing for River Plate and for Valencia, but it was at Benfica that Pablo Aimar played the best football of his career, as he himself confessed in an interview with ESPN.

The best version of Pablo Aimar: at River or at Valencia? To the question, the former Benfica's number 10 answered as follows: "I think my best version was in Lisbon, at Benfica. It was a great team, in which I played well as number 10, behind Javier [Saviola] and Cardozo. With Di María on one wing and Ramires, the Brazilian, on the other ", said Pablito, remembering those and other figures of the 2009/10 season, as Javi García and Luisão, among others.

"I think it was when I played better and I was well physically", highlighted Pablo Aimar, recalling the season in which Benfica finished the championship against Rio Ave - opponent it faces at 6:15 pm on Saturday on Matchweek 21 of the current Liga NOS -, celebrating then the winning of a National Title.

The former Argentinean international arrived at Benfica in 2008, coming from the Spanish of Zaragoza. With an eagle on his chest, Aimar made 179 matches until 2013 and won five trophies: a National Championship (2009/10) and four League Cup (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12).

They have been several moments in which the current Argentina U-17 National Team coach remembers Benfica. A club that touched him and where he was marked as one of the best number 10 who ever stepped on the pitch of the new Estádio da Luz. A stadium that will be forever remembered by Aimar as the best stage in the world, after having played at stadiums such as Santiago Bernabéu (Real Madrid) or Camp Nou (Barcelona).

Text: Filipa Fernandes Garcia

Pics: Archive / SL Benfica