Exclusive: Barcelona legend Javier Saviola snubs Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho when naming 'most important' teammate he had

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid forward Javier Saviola has revealed the most important player he played with during his career – and it’s not Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta or Ronaldinho.

Saviola, 43, is one of very few players who crossed the divide between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Despite making 31 appearances for Los Blancos, he is best known for his time at Barca between 2001 and 2007, during which he had the honour of playing with a young Messi.

As well as sharing a dressing room with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the Camp Nou, Saviola played for the Argentina national team with Messi.

And despite explaining how the Inter Miami man is “the greatest of them all”, he named another Argentine as the “most important” teammate he played alongside.

“I have had the privilege and luck of playing alongside Ronaldinho, Messi, Guti, and many other great players beyond Barcelona and Madrid,” he exclusively told SPORTbible on behalf of casino.org.

“But for me, the most important partner I played alongside was Pablo Aimar.

Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola in Benfica training (Credit:Getty)

“We shared time together at River Plate, Benfica, and with the Argentina national team for quite a while. He was the player I understood the best on the pitch.”

Aimar, 45, is best known for his time at Valencia but the pair played together on 158 occasions across spells at Benfica, River Plate and for Argentina.

Messi himself even dubbed Aimar as the player he admired the most, aside from Diego Maradona.

Saviola then named several other ex-teammates who he admired for different reasons.

“Having Ronaldinho as a teammate was also an incredible experience,” Saviola added.

“He was a constant spectacle; we had so much fun with him in training and matches.

“With him, you always had to be fully focused because he could play a pass behind your back without you even knowing where you were. He made impossible passes look effortless.

“I would also include Raúl, whom I have always greatly admired as both a professional and a forward. Then, when we played together at Real Madrid, I had the opportunity to know him not just as a footballer but also as a person, which was a true privilege.

“And, of course, Leo—he is the greatest of them all. We are talking about a player who is among the best in history. I first got to know him as a young boy at La Masia and then later as a teammate in 2006, with the Argentina national team and at the World Cup.”