Introduction

Hello, readers! This week’s Passion Blog post will be a return to my Player Profile series. Sergio Agüero, a world-class Argentinian striker on Manchester City, has recently announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Agüero has won 4 EPL titles, 1 FA Cup, 4 EFL Cups, and 3 FA Community Shields during his time at Manchester City. In less than 400 appearances for City, Agüero has scored over 250 goals! Besides being a clinical finisher for his club team, Agüero also helped take Argentina to the 2014 World Cup Final in Brazil (they utlimately lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time, though).

As you can see, Agüero is a very accomplished player and one of the best strikers of his generation. Now it is time to recap his entire career so far.

Early Upbringings, Youth Career, and Independiente

Sergio  Agüero was born on June 2, 1988 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Agüero joined the youth team of local side Independiente at age 9. At age 15, Agüero become the youngest player to debut in the Argentinian first division. 2 years later, Agüero became a regular starter for Independiente, which led to him being called up the the Argentinian Under-20 (U-20) squad for the 2005 World Cup, which they ultimately won. Argentina’s U-20 squad were carried by Lionel Messi (sound familiar?), who ultimately become best friends with Agüero during the tournament.

Agüero had a breakout season for Indepediente in 2005-2006, where he scored 18 goals in 36 league games. Agüero also received his first professional red card (sending off) for slapping an opponent in a cup match. Agüero’s fantastic form led to him being rumored for a callup to the national team for the 2006 World Cup and a transfer to Atlético Madrid. While the former did not ultimately come to fruition, Agüero did transfer to Atlético that summer for 20 million Euros, a club record transfer fee at the time.

Atlético Madrid

Agüero started off quietly with his new club. Only 7 league goals in his debut season. After strike partner Fernando Torres, transferred to Liverpool, Agüero had a breakout season with 19 league goals. Agüero  was consistently clinical at Atlético, averaging slightly over 16 league goals per season. Agüero earned silverware for his Spanish club in the form of Europa League and UEFA Super Cup titles.

Manchester City

In the summer of 2011, Agüero , who caught the eye of many top European clubs with his performances for Atlético and Argentina, transferred for a club record fee at the time (35 million pounds). His debut season was memorable for many reasons. During his first season, Agüero scored 23 league goals, was named Manchester City’s Player of the Year, and won City’s Goal of the Year Award. In addition, Agüero ended up scoring one of the most dramatic goals in EPL history. Needing a win to clinch the title, Agüero popped up in the 94th minute with a low effort into the bottom corner to earn City their first EPL trophy.

But Agüero’s success for city did not end there. He has averaged slightly less than 20 league goals per season. He won the EPL Golden Boot (award for most goals scored) in the 2014-2015 season with 26 goals. And as previously mentioned, Agüero also had been an important part of City’s successful EPL title challenges in the 2013-2014, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 seasons. It is apparent that Agüero is one of the best strikers in City’s history and in EPL history!

Argentinian National Team

In 2008, Agüero scored 2 goals against in the Olympic semifinal against Brazil. The Argentina U-23 team went on to win the Olympics that summer. Agüero’s first World Cup was in 2010, although he didn’t score a single goal. In 2014, Agüero again did not score any goals, but Argentina still made it the final, except unlike the Olympics, they ultimately lost. Agüero had more success in the 2015 Copa América tournament, where he scored 3 goals, but his team lost again, this time to Chile.

Overall, in almost 100 appearances for his national side, Agüero has scored 41 goals. However, he seems to struggle to make an impact in the big international tournaments. Nevertheless, Agüero’s mixed international career cannot overshadow his dominate club career.

Bonus Fact

Agüero’s nickname, Kun, comes from a favorite Japanese cartoon he watched as a child, which featured a troublemaker named Kum-Kum.