Who was Messi's biggest football hero?

Dubai - Pablo Aimar, just like Messi, was dubbed the 'New Maradona'

Very few people know that five-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, who is often compared to Diego Maradona, didn't spend his childhood trying to emulate his legendary countryman.
Messi, of course, admired Maradona, the man who almost single-handedly won the World Cup for Argentina in 1986. 
But Maradona was not Messi's biggest hero.
The player that the Barcelona superstar looked up to was Pablo Aimar, a gifted midfielder who was dubbed the 'New Maradona' by the Argentinian press.

Several talented young players were dubbed as the new Maradona in Argentina. Apart from Aimar, players including Javier Saviola, Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, Ariel Ortega and Messi were given that unofficial title.
While almost all of them went on to enjoy highly successful careers, it is only Messi that has actually come close to matching the iconic Maradona.
But despite achieving phenomenal success, Messi still considers Aimar as his biggest idol. 
When a reporter asked him few years back on what it feels to surpass his idol (Aimar) in football, Messi said: "Please don't speak like that. Aimar is a great player. He is still my biggest idol."    
Aimar was a natural with the ball. His dribbling and vision made him a crowd favourite at River Plate, one of the biggest clubs in Argentina.
Aimar was soon transferred to Valencia. And it was at Valencia that Aimar became a star, helping the club stun Real Madrid and Barcelona to win two La Liga titles in 2002 and 2004. 

Aimar also played a big role in Valencia's run to the 2001 Champions League final where they lost on penalties to Bayern Munich.
When Aimar retired from football at the age of 35, Messi sent him a message: "Pablo Aimar, a great player and one of my idols has just announced his retirement. I wish you the best in the next stage of your life. Thanks for letting us enjoy your magic."
Aimar showed some of his magical skills once again during an exhibition match in Colombia on Tuesday. And soon after the match, he was quizzed about Messi as the reporters wanted to know if Argentina were going to miss the injured Barcelona star in their next two World Cup qualifying matches against Peru (October 6) and Paraguay (October 11).
"On these two dates Argentina cannot count on Messi, their best player," Aimar said. "But Argentina have players who can win matches, although Messi is always needed," Aimar added.
Argentina are currently occupying the third place with 15 points after eight matches. The top four teams will directly qualify for the next World Cup, while the fifth placed South American team will have to play an inter-continental playoff to book their ticket for Russia.
Aimar played in two World Cups for Argentina in 2002 and 2006.