They’ve cheered on their heroes at Manchester City, from Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell and Francis Lee to Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, and there’s also a special place in the hearts of all City fans for Sergio Aguero, their recently retired and record-breaking frontman.
Here we profile the son of an Argentine taxi driver who would emerge from the back streets of Buenos Aires to find fame and fortune in Europe and become one of the world’s greatest goalscorers.
The Boy Who Would Be King
Sergio Leonel Aguero del Castillo was just nine-years-old when he joined the youth system at Independiente, one of the oldest and most famous clubs in South America, and it didn’t take long for his blossoming talent to shine through.
He had barely blown out the candles on his 15th birthday cake when he was summoned for the first time to play for the first team and a couple of whirlwind seasons later, and a month shy of turning 18, he made the decision not only to move club, but to move continent, joining Atletico Madrid for £15m.
In five stellar seasons, this prodigious young star scored 101 goals and helped the Madrid giants to a Europa League and Super Cup double, before enraging Atletico fans by leaving to join Manchester City in 2011 for around £35m. It was to prove surely one of football’s greatest ever bargains.
Greatest Goal in Premier League History?
Aguero’s first season for Manchester City was good – very good in fact. Going into the last game of the season he had bagged 29 goals helping his team ahead of Manchester United and on the verge of their first league title since 1968.
But very good became unforgettable on the final day of that 2011-12 campaign when Aguero, the little man for the big occasion, scored with effectively the last kick of the season to clinch a dramatic 3-2 win over QPR. The Etihad erupted amid scenes that had never been seen before and probably never will again.
It was an iconic moment, made by Aguero at the end of his first season in England, and turned him overnight into a Premier League legend.
More Goals, More Glory, And Finally Heartache
The goals continued to flow for Aguero – he won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2014-15 – and his medals collection started to grow.
He would add four more Premier League titles to the one he won in 2012, an FA Cup winner’s medal and was a six-time League Cup winner, scoring in two of those finals and in two more successful penalty shootouts.
When he finally left the club in July 2021 to join Barcelona, days after clinching a first Copa America triumph with Argentina, his one and only major international honour, he had become Manchester City’s record scorer and the highest non-English scorer in the competition.
A heart condition at the relatively young age of 33 eventually forced his retirement, prematurely bringing down the curtain on the sumptuous story of a Premier League hero and, now, Hall of Famer.