AGUEROOOOOOO!

Here is an article that I wrote that was published in the Late Tackle Magazine (Mar/April 2023. Issue 85)

Aguero At Man City

After Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of Manchester City in 2008, the club took an impressive leap in the table, which later lead to a large majority of success for the club. In the 2010/11 season, City finished in third place behind Chelsea and local rivals Manchester United.

If Mancini was to topple Alex Ferguson’s red devils, he needed extra reinforcement in the attacking areas. Man City decided on Argentinian forward, Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid, who had 101 goals and 45 assists in just 234 games in Spain.

Many expected Aguero to join City and become a key player for the team, leading the line with Carlos Tevez. What many didn’t expect was Aguero to come in, become the leading forward for The Cityzens, winning the title with them in his first season in England, and becoming one of the best forwards in the world during his playing time in the North West. 

A Moment Of Magic

After arriving in Manchester for a fee of around £36 million, there were big expectations for the forward on his debut day against Swansea City at the Etihad, and he certainly showed what he could do, he scored twice for the Blues, setting the tempo for his season. He didn’t slow down either, as after just 4 games in the Premier League, Aguero got his first hat trick against Wigan Athletic.

Aguero and City shined bright throughout the season, as they pushed on their quest for the all inspiring Premier League title. However, Man Utd were battling City for the title, and when they found themselves 2-1 down against QPR on the final day of the season, it looked like it was over for Mancini and his men. 

However, a late equaliser from Dzeko set up an iconic Premier League moment. As Mario Balotelli brought the ball down in the area and laid it into the path of the forward, Aguero struck his venomous strike past Paddy Kenny to send the Etihad into pandemonium as City clinched the title out of the Red Devils’ hands.

In just 34 premier league games in his debut season, he scored 24 goals, whilst also getting 10 assists and he continued to do just the same for the remainder of his time at City.

Change In Direction

The following campaign, City couldn’t win back-to-back titles, and they also suffered defeat in the FA Cup final to Wigan Athletic. The season for Aguero didn’t match the heights of the season before, as he scored 10 goals and got 3 assists in 30 Premier League matches.

At the end of the season, there was change higher up, as Italian, Roberto Mancini departed the club, and in came Manuel Pellegrini and it was an instant success under the Chilean. 

Despite a lot of action in the League Cup, Aguero grabbed himself a goal and an assist in just 121 minutes of action which helped the Cityzens reach the final against Sunderland, where Pellegrini picked up his first trophy for City, as they beat the Black Cats 3-1 at Wembley.

In the league, City went head-to-head with Brenden Rodgers Liverpool for the title. It looked like the title would travel to Merseyside, but it stayed in Manchester after Liverpool picked up some defeats towards the end of the season. Aguero was vital to City’s title attempts that season, with 27 goal contributions in 23 games as City clinched the title on the final day of the season.

In the next two season’s under Pellegrini, City only added one more trophy to the collection, beating Liverpool on penalties in the League Cup, but the lack of league success wasn’t down to the Argentinian forward, as he scored 50 league goals across the two campaigns.

Mansour decided it was time for change once again, to take the team to new strengths which would elevate Man City and Aguero to new levels.

The Pep Era

Despite the first season being trophyless, there were clear signs of progression under the Spanish manager. A number of players were phased out during his first few years, but Aguero was different and was key to the success with Pep.

In his remaining seasons at City under Pep, he scored 82 league goals including many key goals such as the winner in a 2-1 versus Liverpool and a hat trick against Chelsea to help his team win three leagues in five years.

He also won 4 League Cups, where he scored 2 goals in those four matches, being key to helping city become the eventual winners.

He also won another 2 Community Shields and another FA Cup Final during his final few years at City.

During this time, Aguero became the stand-alone figure leading the line for the team, as he remained one of the deadliest strikers in Europe during his final few years.

During his time in the Premier League, Aguero won five league titles whilst scoring 184 goals. He broke a number of records, such as the most hat tricks in the Premier League (12) during his time in England, ultimately becoming a man to be feared.

His longevity despite some tough injuries is a credit to his character and his ability to return to top form after injuries.

After his departure from City, he went to Barcelona, but after some health issues, he was forced to retire.

Looking back at the Argentinian’s career there is no doubt he will go down as a Premier League Legend and as one of the best forwards of his generation.