Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero has announced his retirement from football due to a heart condition and Football Italia recalls one of his title-winning seasons at Manchester City under Roberto Mancini.
Aguero moved to the Etihad Stadium from Atletico Madrid in a €40m deal in 2011, when the Italian tactician was in charge of the team.
The Argentinean joined a team full of great strikers, from Carlos Tevez to Mario Balotelli, who somehow played a key role in City’s title-winning campaign.
"I have decided to stop playing football."
— @aguerosergiokun pic.twitter.com/kVpislPA9K
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 15, 2021
The former Inter and Milan forward scored 13 goals in 23 Premier League appearances and delivered one assist for the final, and decisive goal of the campaign, scored by the Argentinean ace against QPR.
City hadn’t won the title for 44 years. From that moment, Aguero and Manchester City’s history changed forever.
Aguero scored 46 goals in 86 appearances under Mancini, winning his first domestic title in Europe with the Italian tactician.
The former striker scored more goals only under Pep Guardiola (124 in 182 matches) and Manuel Pellegrini (89 in 119), becoming the most prolific player in the history of the Premier League giants.
Mancini’s message to Agüero: ‘I’m very sorry, I wish him the best’
Mancini also won the Community Shield in charge of Manchester City and was sacked in May 2013, two days after losing the FA Cup Final against Wigan.
Last night, he sent a message to his former striker during the Gazzetta dello Sport Award.
“I’m very sorry, I wish him the best of things,” he said.
“I wanted him at City, he’s the foreigner with the highest goal average in England. I’m sorry he has to leave football so soon.”
Aguero broke to tears announcing the end of his career at a press conference at the Nou Camp today, but what he achieved with Mancini will forever remain in history.
Without shadow of a doubt, one of the most criminally underrated players! For whatever reason, he never received the publicity and true recognition that his ability, talent and goal output deserved.
Looking through his stats. Aguero scored 15 plus goals in 9 out of 10 seasons with City. 20 plus goals in 8 out of 10 seasons. It is almost like he was ‘punished’ for being consistent. Only twice in the PFA team of the season and never voted player of the year. Utter nonsense.
To many who yet attached importance to personal award in football, im afraid I have to say you are yet under illusions and hypnotization of the men in suit and executive corridor of the political gamuts of football…. Its all politics and nothing can stop it in football…. How could Messi had won balloon d’or we have comically termed balloon for flops! How could Aguero, lewandoski, et al and jokingly of all arsene Wenger the most underachiever of manager try to change the landscape of world soccer all in the name of FIFA… What a joke of a set of people.