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An underdog story: Put some respect on Sergio Aguero’s name

Athletes January 13, 2020
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Sergio Kun Aguero passes the ball to the top of the box. He finds space among a sea of defenders, a tight-knit space only a player of his stature and wisdom could sniff out. He receives the give-and-go pass from his teammate.

In the box now, in stoppage time of a game his team is losing, Aguero takes one touch past a defender and rifles the ball into the back of the net. The stadium, and commentator Martin Tyler roar.


Vincent Kompany had a few words to say about his teammate:

“What a legend he is. You take away the fact he has scored that many goals, I’m grateful for one goal. But when he scored against QPR and everyone said ‘Agueroooo’, you take that goal and he is always going to be a legend to me.”

This goal is perhaps Aguero’s most iconic goal in a career teeming with them. It was the last game of the season, and Aguero’s club Manchester City was losing 2-1 to opponent Queens Park Rangers (QPR). Without a goal, Manchester City does not win the trophy, and to make matters worse, their rivals Manchester United are the ones to win it.

But a stroke of brilliance from the boot of Argentinian Aguero secured the tie for City and the trophy thereafter. This goal presented us soccer fans with a moment we will never forget, especially due to Martin Tyler’s ridiculously excited call.

In Aguero’s debut season for City, he wins them the Premier League trophy, embodying Aguero’s career; consistent, brilliant, and always having a knack for putting the ball in the net.

 

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Fast forward seven years and Aguero is still tearing up the English Premier League. On Sunday, in a 6-1 rout of Aston Villa for Manchester City, Aguero scored a record-breaking 12th hat-trick in the league.

Aguero’s three goals also put him ahead of one of the greatest players ever, Frenchman Thierry Henry, for most goals by a non-English player, and level with Brit Frank Lampard with 177 Premier League goals and fourth all-time. Aguero’s feat of 177 goals in 255 appearances outpaces all non-English players.

After passing Henry, Aguero’s manager Pep Guardiola spoke with Sky Sports about his star player’s feat.

“Henry is one of the most incredible players that I have seen in this league, but I think he would be happy that Sergio is the guy who breaks his record. He was a legend and Sergio is the same,” said Guardiola.

Since moving to Manchester City in 2011, Aguero has been a consistently dominant force in one of the best leagues in the world. Production sometimes wanes from top strikers (see Fernando Torres), but with Aguero, the goals and productivity just keep on coming. His continued production begs the question as to why Aguero is not more-talked-about as one of the greatest strikers of all time.

Behind Aguero on the City bench lies Gabriel Jesus, an absurdly-talented 22-year-old Brazilian who deserves playing time. It is important for top clubs (or any club for that matter) to have depth, but if both players are fit, the manager can be in a difficult position to distribute minutes.

Luckily for Guardiola, both Aguero and Jesus have been dynamite this season, and the pressure does not seem to be getting to either of them. Aguero is scoring a goal every 77 minutes he plays this season. Blimey.

After Aguero’s record night Sunday, he was asked how he feels.

“I’m very happy to be breaking records. It’s always nice to receive awards. I want to thank my teammates for helping me to score them in all these years. After this, I want to keep going and keep scoring more goals, but the most important for me is that the team keeps winning and winning,” he said.

“I don’t know what will happen from now until the end of the season, but it’s a moment to enjoy.”

Aguero’s contract is up at the end of next season. By then he will be 32 and has always said at the end of his career he wants to return to his childhood club, Argentine Independiente.

Aguero represents Manchester City, and more than that, he represents City’s golden age. The club has never experienced a greater run than it has had during Aguero’s tenure, and it’s not over yet. A UEFA Champions League medal this year would further solidify City and Aguero’s place in history.

The lack of buzz around Aguero can be chalked up to him being 5’8″, City consistently having a collection of superstar players, or being from the same country as GOAT Lionel Messi. Whatever the case, the lack of recognition for Aguero’s career is unfair.

Aguero is going to go down as one of the top five Premier League strikers, and top 10 strikers in any league of all time. Remember his name.

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