Had he only been allowed to, Con Aguero would have preferred to erase the last few months of his career. In the weeks since the problems in his heart were discovered, which force him to hang up his shoes at the age of 33, the internalization has increased that he missed the opportunity to do so in much happier circumstances.
Remember his farewell game from Manchester City Stadium in May? In the closing round of the season, the Argentine striker entered to the applause of the 10,000 fans who were allowed to stay in the stands, and immediately bombed – not one goal, but a double. It was a brilliant finishing chord to a decade-long career in the blue uniform.
Before him was the Champions League final then, and his fans remembered well how he said he would not leave the club without bringing home the coveted European Cup. Therefore, quite symbolically and ironically, the early announcement of his departure was interpreted as a clear sign of a historic victory. It did not happen, and Con got only 13 minutes towards the end against Chelsea at the Dragao Stadium in Porto, but he parted ways with a championship nonetheless, which is no mean feat. He started with the mythical goal against Queens Park Rangers that brought the club’s first title in the modern era, and finished with a fifth individual championship. Yes, it could have been a great finishing chord to a career in his teams.
Then came the trip to the Copa America. The big monkey on the back of Leo Messi also harassed Aguero who failed time and time again in his attempt to bring Argentina an international title. So in his last tournament, strange and puzzling as it may be without a crowd in Brazil, he was a partner in the Albiceleste’s first win at the box office since 1993. Although he did not find the net, opened only twice in the squad, did not get minutes in the final against Brazil, but it is secondary to national achievement . It was possible to announce after the trophy lifting that the team was leaving – and it could have been a perfect ending chord for the entire career.
There were players who knew how to retire on time, and there were those who insisted on doing so even ahead of time. No one forced Zinedine Zidane to hang up his shoes after the 2006 World Cup at the age of 34, and fans were almost angry with Philip Lam for choosing to finish football in 2017 when he was in fantastic shape at 33. And there are quite a few players who have a hard time saying goodbye to the game Torn himself.
In Aguero, unlike Zidane or the mother, the body has long signaled that it should not be exaggerated. The frequency of injuries was too high, the damage to ability on the grass was quite substantial, and the decline was not long in coming. Not maliciously Pep Guardiola chose to use it less last season, even when he was fit. This time, national team coach Lionel Scaloni gave him a secondary role at the box office. Yes, Con is only 33 years old, but he started his professional path at the age of 15, and had to consider health. However, the love for the game made rational considerations more common, and even greater was the longing to collaborate with good friend Messi on the same team.
Bottom line, the Barcelona management led Aguero astray. She probably did not do it on purpose, and the flea itself would never have lied to Con about his future. There was a sincere intention here to continue as usual, and to create the cooperation of the Argentine veterans in particular at the Camp Nou. In practice, it turned out to be financially impossible, Messi’s new contract was not signed, the star traveled at record speed to Paris Saint-Germain, and Aguero still had to wait for other players to agree to a pay cut in order to be listed with the association. When his new club was so disgraced, he no longer really wanted to be a part of it, and perhaps preferred that his signing be disqualified so that the apparent fiasco could be avoided. But the bureaucracy eventually worked, and the trap was closed.
And even if his last career goal was scored in the home Clasico, it was a shrunken and unimportant goal in the loss. This sad period began with an injury and ended with a diagnosis of cardiological problems. One must forget her as soon as possible, and remember the rest of the glorious career of one of the great pioneers of his generation, who left a glorious legacy.
Here he makes his debut in his beloved Independiente uniform as early as 2004, breaking Diego Maradona’s record as the youngest player in Argentine league history. At the age of 17, he was already an anchor in the squad, one of the best players in the league, and ran a media campaign to join the squad for the 2006 World Cup.
Here he signs that summer at Atletico Madrid for a club record of 20 million euros. It was a different Atletico, before the era of Cello Simeone. She was a loser and got used to mediocrity, but Aguero ignited the imagination of the fans and scored more than 100 goals in all competitions during five dream years. The collaboration with Uruguayan Diego Forlan flourished, and the two brought Colchoneros the win in the Europa League in 2010 – an extraordinary achievement in their terms at the time in question.
Here he moves to Manchester City in 2011 for 45 million euros, capturing hearts with his special smile, and entering the history books already at the end of his first season. The roar of the broadcaster’s aguerooooooo when the dramatic ball kissed KPR’s net with 93 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock was often chosen as the most constitutive moment in the history of the English league. Less than a year after passing through Manchester, Con promised himself eternal glory, but it was followed by nine more seasons during which he made excellence the standard.
He won the title of goalkeeper only once, in 2014/15, but his average of conquests throughout the decade was stable and phenomenal. Aguero left City with 260 goals in 390 games in all competitions. With 184 Premier League goals, he is ranked fourth of all time since the factory was established, and the most prolific foreigner before Thierry Henry.
Here he leads young Argentina up to the age of 20 to two consecutive World Cup wins, in 2005 and 2007, when he was the top scorer and selected as the outstanding player. Since 2006, he has spent a decade and a half in the senior team uniform, making 101 appearances (seventh in history) and scoring 41 goals (third in history, after Messi and Gabriel Batistuta). Unlike other stars, his commitment was never questioned, and he took care not to produce negative headlines even when he was not developing.
In general, affection for him knows no bounds. There are stars that cause antagonism, but Aguero’s quiet charisma has conquered them all. He could not be hated – as Brazil, Real Madrid and Manchester United fans will testify. With an ego of reasonable proportions, a friendly attitude and lots of good mood, he was kind of a poster boy. He was not the greatest virtuoso of them all, but he had a special talent for making complicated performances look simple and trivial. He conquered from any position, and seemed to do so without much effort. He was born to be in the right place at the right time, and the appreciation for him was immense among his teammates and rival players.
Aguero’s retirement marks the end of an era, and he will be sorely missed on the lawn, but the memories will remain. Soon, the farce that has gone through for no injustice in Barcelona will be completely erased from consciousness, and only the beautiful moments will remain there. Especially Aguerooooooooooo. Even the biggest haters of Manchester City can agree that there was a special charm in this moment.
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