The Argentine striker enjoyed a stunning debut season culminating in Manchester City’s championship win. At 24-years-old, the player could become a world football star.
When Agüero scored the dramatic injury-time goal against QPR to wrestle the league title off rivals Manchester United, he firmly established City as perennial contenders, graduating from high-spending pretenders.
City had endured a variable campaign having seen an early lead at the top of the table slip away as did progression in the Champions League but with six games left, City clawed back an 8-point deficit to leaders United as they won their first league title for forty-four years and vindicated the record spending that had taken place in constructing the team. Following on from the previous season’s FA Cup success, the Premier League title win will have developed a mindset in the club capable of competing with the best clubs in Europe.
It was record signing Agüero who led City’s goal scoring with 23 from 31 starts in his debut season. Following a reported £38m move from Atletico Madrid, the young striker continued the form that had initially earned him the transfer and demonstrated himself as one of City’s key performers.
Yet, his goal scoring record in the Premier League this past season was not a stroke of serendipity. In his previous season in Spain, Agüero scored 27 in all competitions. Even at 20 years old, in the 2007/08 season with Atletico Madrid, he scored 19 league goals followed by another impressive season of 17 goals.
Although there were concerns over his physicality to adapt to the Premier League, his persistent goal scoring pedigree has given short shrift to these claims. His performances were such at Atletico that Fernando Torres was not missed after he moved to Liverpool in 2007. Indeed, Agüero equalled Torres’ maximum number of goals in a league campaign in the subsequent 2007/08 season. Following Torres’ move, Agüero (and new-signing Forlan) helped fire Atletico into Champions League qualification.
A facet that young Agüero did improve on following his move to Manchester City was his contribution to overall play. In the title-winning league campaign with City, Agüero amassed 10 assists whereas in the previous season in Madrid he had set up a modest 2 league goals.
As the 24-year-old enhances his reputation year upon year, could the player in the future emulate the success of Maradona, his godfather? The legendary Argentine won several personal awards including the Golden Ball for best player at the 1986 World Cup and other World Player of the Year awards from sports journals. Had Maradona been eligible for the Ballon d’Or (European Player of the Year) he surely would have collected the prize. Could the godson one day replicate these personal achievements?
And for Agüero, a growing Manchester City furnishes him with a befitting platform to showcase his talents. As the final moments of the game against QPR encapsulated, Agüero’s own performances and goals tie into the collective success of Manchester City and as Agüero continues to improve, so will the Manchester club’s quest for trophies prove more fruitful.
Manchester City’s development into a European giant will further define Agüero’s reputation as one of Europe’s best players. If Agüero can contribute substantially to the club’s potential success in England and in the Champions League, the player will receive the highest personal accolades accordingly. It is this reciprocity that will be key to Sergio Agüero being recognised in the same esteem as players such as Messi and Ronaldo.
image: © Gene Hunt
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