Sergio
Agüero
 Agüero playing for Argentina in 2012 |
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Personal information
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Full
name
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Sergio
Leonel Agüero del Castillo
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Date
of birth
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June
2, 1988 (age 23)
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Place
of birth
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Quilmes, Argentina
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Height
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1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
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Playing
position
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Club information
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Current
club
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Number
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16
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Youth career
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1997–2003
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Senior career*
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Years
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Team
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Apps†
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(Gls)†
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2003–2006
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54
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(23)
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2006–2011
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175
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(74)
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2011–
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30
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(21)
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National team‡
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2005-2007
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7
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(6)
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2008
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5
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(2)
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2006–
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33
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(14)
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Honours[show]
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted
for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:47, 14 April 2012 (AEST).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as
of 11 October 2011
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Sergio Leonel
"Kun" Agüero del Castillo (Spanish
pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo aˈɣweɾo]; born 2 June 1988) is
an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City in
England's Premier League and the Argentine national team.
On 5 July 2003, he
became the youngest player to debut in the Argentine First Division
at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976. Maradona would
later become Agüero's father-in-law by virtue of Agüero's marriage to his
daughter, Giannina.
At international level,
Agüero represented the Argentina
under-20 team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and in 2007 winning both
tournaments. Agüero played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he scored two goals in the 3–0
semi-final win against Brazil
as Argentina went on to win the gold medal. Agüero was selected to represent
Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and
the 2011 Copa América.
In 2006, Agüero moved to
Europe to play for La Liga side Atlético Madrid for a fee of €23 million from Independiente. Here,
he made a name for himself, attracting attention from Europe's top clubs by
scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances while winning the UEFA Europa League and the
UEFA Super Cup in 2010. Agüero moved to Premier League club Manchester City in July
2011 for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £35 million.
Club
career
Independiente
Sergio Agüero joined the
youth system of Independiente at the
age of nine. He started playing for the side, becoming the youngest player to
debut in the division at 15 years and 35 days (on 5 July 2003 against Club Atlético
San Lorenzo de Almagro), breaking the record previously established
by Diego Maradona in 1976, when Independiente's coach, Oscar Ruggeri sent Agüero onto the field as a substitute for Emanuel Rivas in the 69th
minute of the match.[5][8] His performance was well received by the press,
Despite his early debut, Agüero was not selected again by Ruggeri, and his
replacement Osvaldo Sosa, for the remainder of 2002–03 season,
having only made just one appearance in the Torneo Clausura.
Following the arrival of coach Jose Omar Pastoriza, seven
months after Agüero's first match he returned to the club's first-team in 4-2
win against Peru's Cienciano during the group stages of the 2004 Copa Libertadores.
This meant that Agüero also became the youngest player to participate in the Copa Libertadores, a record that he held for three years. One
month later, Agüero again featured in a Copa Libertadores fixture against Ecuador's El Nacional. On 19
June, for the first time, Agüero played a full 90 minute match for
Independiente against Atlético de Rafaela during
the Torneo Clausura. He
scored his first goal for Independiente in a 2-2 draw against Estudiantes on 26
November, with a 22nd minute shot from outside the penalty area. Agüero became
a regular in the club's first-team, being selected for the Argentina U-20
squad for the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup,
which Argentina won. During the 2005–06 season,
Agüero scored 18 goals in 36 league appearances, having missed two games due to
suspension. In a 4-0 win against Racing on 11 September,
Agüero dribbled from inside of his own half and scored Independiente's fourth
goal with a left footed shot. His first red card came in the Torneo Apertura,
after slapping an opponent in a match against Tiro Federal. His outstanding performances during the Torneo Apertura
attracted interest from a number of big name European
clubs, and after months of speculation, Agüero announced on TV in April that he
intended to leave the club at the end of the season. Before the end of the
season, there had already been speculation of a possible transfer to Atlético Madrid. With his performances being lauded by the
press, there was talk of a possible call up for Agüero for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In a
2-0 away victory against Olimpo de Bahia Blanca in
round 17 of the Torneo Clausura, Agüero received his fifth yellow card of the
season. This prevented him from playing his last game for Independiente in a
fixture against Boca Juniors in Avellaneda one week later. The yellow card brought tears to
the eyes of Agüero, as television cameras recorded. Agüero, who scored
Independiente's second goal of the match later said "I think that it was
my last goal for Independiente". He played his last game for
Independiente, two weeks later, in a 2-0 away defeat to Rosario Central. On 30 May, Agüero officially transferred to Atlético Madrid for €20 million, marking a record for the Bank of Spain.
Atlético
Madrid
Agüero with Atlético
Madrid.
Agüero with Atlético
Madrid.
In May 2006, Agüero
joined Spanish club Atlético Madrid for fee reported to be around €23 million, breaking the club's previous transfer record. He
caused controversy early in his Atlético career by using his hands to score the
winning goal against Recreativo Huelva on 14
October 2006, only his second goal for the club, with the first coming in a 4–1
away win against Athletic Bilbao on
September 17. In the 2007–08 season, Agüero
finished third highest scorer in La Liga, behind Dani Güiza and Luís Fabiano, with 19 goals, and was runner up in the Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano
award. Agüero won many plaudits for his man of the match display against Barcelona in March 2008, scoring twice, assisting a goal, and
winning a penalty for Atlético in a 4–2 win. He also scored important goals
against the likes of Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal to help Atlético finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for
the first time in over ten years.
Agüero with Atlético
Madrid.
Agüero was once again a
regular goalscorer for Atlético in the 2008–09 season, forming a
partnership with Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán, also a former Independiente striker. On 16
September, he scored his first Champions League goals in a 3–0 away win at PSV Eindhoven. In March 2009, the duo of Forlán and Agüero
scored a brace each in a 4–3 win
over league leaders Barcelona. Agüero finished in the top ten
contenders for the Pichichi Trophx which was
won by his teammate Forlán. Atlético finished fourth in the league, qualifying
for the following season's Champions League.
Despite not being as
prolific in front of goal, Agüero had another good season in 2009–10, and was praised
for his influential performances as Atlético enjoyed their most successful
season in over a decade. On 3 November 2009, he scored twice against Chelsea during a 2–2 draw in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón. Atlético
were knocked out of the competition, but went on to reach the final of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League,
where Agüero assisted both goals in a 2–1 extra time win against English club Fulham. He also helped Atlético reach the
final of the Spanish Cup, although this time they were
not victorious, losing to Sevilla in the Camp Nou on May 19.
On 27 August 2010,
Atlético Madrid captured the UEFA Super Cup by beating
favorites Internazionale 2–0.
Agüero provided the assist for José Antonio Reyes's
opening goal and then secured the win by scoring the second. On 4 January 2011,
Atlético Madrid confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a
new contract with the club, keeping him at the Vicente Calderón until 2014. The
following day he was named as the new vice-captain of
Atlético, along with strike partner Diego Forlán.
The 2010–11 season was
arguably Agüero's most successful for Atlético, as he scored 20 league goals
for the first time in his career. Between March and May of 2011, he went on a
run of seven consecutive goalscoring appearances, a feat that no other player
in Europe could match during the season. Agüero's final outing for Atlético
came on May 21 against Mallorca, a game in which he reached two milestones. In a 3–4 win, he scored his first career hat-trick, the second goal being his 100th for the Colchoneros.
However, failure to celebrate any of the goals lead to speculation that he
would be on his way out of the club.
On 23 May 2011, Agüero
announced on his official website that he wanted to move from Atlético Madrid
and formally asked to be released from his contract. Aguero later spoke to ESPN,
where he stated that he would "not be returning to Atlético". On the
same day that Agüero officially became a Manchester City player, Atletico
Madrid hosted a 2011-2012 Europa League qualifier against Stromgodset, where a group of Atlético fans brandished
"Aguero We Hope You Die" banners, in a reaction to the striker's
£38million move to Manchester City, at the Vicente Calderon on 28 July, 2011.
Upon his departure, Atlético used the €45million from Agüero's sale to buy Radamel Falcao as his replacement.
Manchester
City
2011–12
season
On 28 July 2011, Manchester City confirmed
that Agüero had signed a five-year contract with the club. The fee was reported
to be in the region of £38 million (€45 million). He was given the number 16
shirt for his first season at City and wears the shirt name Kun Agüero.
He was an unused substitute in the Dublin Super Cup match against Internazionale and the 2011 FA Community Shield
against Manchester United with
manager Roberto Mancini believing
Agüero was not yet fit. Agüero made his debut for Manchester City on 15 August
2011, in a 4–0 Premier League victory over Swansea City. Agüero came
on as a substitute in the 59th minute scoring his first goal for the club
within 9 minutes after a tap in from a cross from full back Micah Richards. He then turned provider with an assist after
chipping over the oncoming goalkeeper before flicking the ball back into the
penalty box and into the path of David Silva to score. Agüero rounded off his debut by scoring
again in injury time with a 30 yard strike. His 30 minute debut gained rave
reviews among football journalists, with some suggesting it was one of the best
in English football. City continued their strong start winning 3–2 away at Bolton Wanderers with
Agüero missing two chances in the penalty box. On 28 August, Agüero scored his
third league goal in Manchester City's 5–1 rout of Tottenham Hotspur. On his
third start for the club, he scored his first hat-trick in English football,
against Wigan Athletic. On 18
September, he scored twice at Craven Cottage against Fulham but Manchester City were held to a 2–2 draw. Having
been substituted off of the field after just 28 minutes due to an injury during
a 4-0 win against Blackburn Rovers on 1
October, Agüero returned to action in a 2011–12 UEFA Champions League
group stage fixture, where he came on for Nigel de Jong on 62 minutes and scored a 93rd minute winner in
his side's 2–1 victory against Villarreal on 18 October. On 23 October Agüero took part in
his first Manchester derby, scoring
in the 69th minute as he converted a Micah Richards pass across the face of goal. The match
incredibly finished 6–1 to City. On 1 November, Agüero was shortlisted for the
prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or. On 19
November, he scored a penalty in a 3–1 win at home to Newcastle United, ending
Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season.
Agüero made his League Cup debut in the
quarter final match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, scoring the only goal of the game in the
83rd minute from an Adam Johnson through ball.
His next goal came in a 5–1 home win against Norwich, opening the scoring in the 32nd minute, giving him
his 13th goal of the season and maintaining the team's 100% league record at
home. On 21 December, he scored a brace as City beat Stoke 3–0 at home. On 3 January 2012 he opened the scoring in
a 3–0 win at home to Liverpool, beating Pepe Reina with a low shot. Agüero scored his 15th goal on
February 4th, scoring a penalty against Fulham in a 3–0 win at a snow covered Etihad Stadium. During
the first-leg of a Europa League round of 32 match against FC Porto, Agüero entered the field in the 78th minute for Mario Balotelli and scored the match winning goal, and his
first Europa League goal for Manchester City, in the 85th minute.
The game had ended 2–1, when in the second-leg, Agüero scored within 19-seconds
at Etihad Stadium in a
4–0 win on 22 February. Manchester City advanced to the last 16
of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League,
having won 6–1 on aggregate. On 25 February, Agüero scored his 16th league goal
in a 3–0 win against Blackburn Rovers During
the second-leg of Manchester City's Round of 16
Europa League fixture against Sporting CP on 15
March, Agüero netted a double to help City claim a 3–2 win, having been
trailing 2—0 at half-time, to level the scores to 3–3 on aggregate. Sporting CP
won on away goals, as they defeated Manchester City 1–0 in the first-leg on 8
March. One week later, Agüero scored his 17th league goal in 2–1 win against Chelsea on 21 March. On 29 March, Ageuro was ruled out for up
to 10 days to two weeks due to a foot problem, which was later diagnosed as a
reaction to a substance that blistered his foot. On 11 April, Aguero scored two
goals for himself and also set up another two goals (for David Silva and Carlos Tévez) in a 4-0 home victory against West Bromwich Albion. On
14 April, Aguero scored a double in a 6–1 away win against Norwich City, his two goals meant that he had surpassed 20
league goals in the English Premier League.
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