The day that no Manchester City fan wanted has finally come. After ten incredible seasons, Sergio Aguero is set to leave.
Since his transfer from Atletico Madrid, the Argentine has been nothing short of sensational, winning four (soon to be five) Premier League titles and becoming the club’s all-time top goalscorer.
It will be a tough goodbye, but Man City fans will have plenty of wonderful memories to look back on.
Here are Sergio Aguero’s best moments from his time at the Etihad Stadium.
Instant impact
Aguero signed for Man City in the summer transfer window of 2011 (inspiring this absolute gem of a Tweet from Oliver Holt), arriving from Atletico Madrid for an estimated £35 million. It’s safe to say expectations were high.
Any worries of the forward flopping were quickly dashed on his debut. Appearing off the bench for the final 30 minutes, he scored two and assisted one in a 4-0 opening day demolition of newly-promoted Swansea City.
This was a sign of things to come from the Argentina international, who would end that season with 23 league goals – and none more important than…
AGUEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
May 13, 2012. The final day of the season. Man City are top of the league on goal difference, having been eight points behind bitter rivals Manchester Utd just five games earlier. If they win, they lift their first league title for 44 years.
Standing in their way are Queens Park Rangers, who go into the game two points above the relegation zone, with 18th-placed Bolton Wanderers needing to win away at Stoke City. A point for QPR will guarantee their survival.
Meanwhile, Man Utd travel to Sunderland, needing to better Man City’s result. It was sure to be a dramatic day, but no-one could have forecast what followed.
The first halves went very much as expected. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for the Red Devils, while Bolton raced into a 2-1 lead having gone behind early on. Man City, on the other hand, were struggling to find a way through.
That all changed in the 39th-minute when Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring with his first league goal of the season. 1-0 to City going into the break. Should see it out from here, right?
Well, football isn’t as simple as that. A hopeful Shaun Wright-Phillips hoof is misjudged by Joleon Lescott, allowing Djibril Cisse to go clean through on goal. The former Liverpool man slams home at the near post.
Not long afterwards, Joey Barton realises that the game hasn’t been all about him yet, and decides to take some action to change that.
After being shown a red card for an elbow on Carlos Tevez, the midfielder goes on a rampage, attempting to fight any City player that was up for it and even some that weren’t. He later got a 12-game ban.
Cisse’s goal was a setback, but surely Roberto Mancini’s side would go on to win now? SURELY? Well…
A few minutes later, Armand Traore produces possibly the only moment of quality of his entire career, bursting down the left and swinging in a peach of a cross for a diving Jamie Mackie, who plants his header into the ground and into the top corner.
I can’t believe it. You can’t believe it. No-one can believe it. City are about to be denied the Premier League title by Jamie Mackie.
There are tears in the home end. They’d choked it. Meanwhile, the away fans are buzzing, especially following the news that Stoke had equalised against Bolton.
At the same time, Man Utd still lead at the Stadium of Light and now go into the closing minutes of the season knowing that they will lift another Premier League trophy. Barring a miracle, of course.
Unfortunately for the red half of Manchester, a miracle is exactly what we got. Following 25 minutes of determined defending by Clint Hill and Anton Ferdinand and a performance by Paddy Kenny that Gianluigi Buffon would be proud of, Edin Dzeko managed to find an equaliser from David Silva’s corner. The Cityzens had four minutes of injury time to save themselves.
Man Utd’s game ended 1-0. They had done all they could. Bolton had also failed to find a winner, ensuring QPR’s survival. It was all about the title now.
With seconds remaining, Aguero picked up the ball outside the box. He exchanged passes with Mario Balotelli before skipping past Taye Taiwo. This was to be Man City’s last chance. It was now or never.
Emphatically, the Argentine slammed the ball into the back of the net, giving his side the lead in the dying stages of the season. Cue absolute pandemonium among the home supporters.
The goal would go down as arguably the most iconic strike in the history of the Premier League. Martin Tyler swore we would never see anything like it ever again. It was the perfect resolution to the tightest title race in English football.
Manchester Derby winner
The following season wasn’t so successful for Aguero or his club. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men resoundingly reclaimed the throne, Man City failed to win a trophy after suffering a shock FA Cup final defeat to Wigan Athletic, and the striker netted just 12 league goals amid injury troubles.
One moment of solace was Aguero’s fantastic winner at Old Trafford. With the scores level at 1-1 with less than 15 minutes remaining, he dribbled past several opposing defenders and smashed into the roof of David de Gea’s net.
All things considered, the result meant very little. Man Utd still won the league by a distance. But it was nice to get a bit of revenge after a difficult year.
Bayern Munich hat-trick
Man City’s 2014/15 Champions League campaign got off to a nightmare start, and they found themselves with just two points after their first four group stage games. Up against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, the Cityzens needed a result at the Etihad.
Things started well for the home side when defender Medhi Benatia conceded a penalty and was subsequently sent off. Aguero stepped up and found the back of the net from the spot. However, goals by Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski put the Bavarians ahead shortly before half time.
Things were looking bleak for the hosts, who needed an equaliser with five minutes remaining. However, they were handed a lifeline when Alonso’s loose pass was intercepted by Stevan Jovetic. The Montenegrin slipped the ball through to Aguero, who placed a left-footed shot in off the post.
And then, in the final moments of the game, Aguero wrapped up his hat-trick and secured the three points. Former City defender Jerome Boateng made a mess of a long ball, allowing the Argentine to go through on goal and calmly slot past Manuel Neuer.
Golden Boot winner
A year on from a second Premier League title, Man City had an underwhelming year under Manuel Pellegrini, finishing eight points behind champions Chelsea and failing to add any silverware to the cabinet.
On an individual level, however, it was arguably Aguero’s best season. The forward won the Premier League’s Golden Boot, finishing five goals clear of Harry Kane in second place. He ended the season with 26 goals, including nine in the final seven games of the campaign.
5 in 20
Off the back of two successive league defeats, Man City found themselves trailing at home to Newcastle United. However, Aguero netted an equaliser in the 42nd minute, ensuring they went into the break level.
In the second half, the Argentine came out and produced one of the finest displays the English top-flight has ever seen. By the 62nd minute, he had notched his FIFTH goal of the game as the home side won 6-1.
Aguero is one of only five players to score five goals in a single Premier League game, along with Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov.
History maker
If he somehow wasn’t already, Aguero secured himself as a Man City legend on November 1, 2017, in a Champions League group stage fixture away at Napoli.
With the game level at 2-2, he raced clean through on goal and finished into the bottom corner. This was his 178th goal for the Cityzens, making him the club’s all-time top goalscorer, overtaking Eric Brook.
Title decider
Man City won their fourth Premier League title in the 2018/19 season, but none were as hard-fought as this one. And, of course, Aguero was a key part of it.
Pep Guardiola’s side were a huge part of an enthralling title race, as they and Liverpool both accumulated obscene points totals. When the two sides met at the Etihad, Aguero broke the deadlock with a thunderous finish into the roof of the net. The game ended 2-1 to Man City. It was the Reds’ only league defeat all season.
He continued to shine throughout the season, especially in the big games. He netted hat-tricks against Arsenal and Chelsea, and bagged against Man Utd at home.
The title race went right down to the wire, and Aguero scored several important goals. With three games remaining, he hit the only goal in a clash against Burnley, keeping his side ahead of Liverpool going into the final two fixtures.
When Guardiola’s men fell behind on the final day of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion, some panic alarms would have been going off in the fans’ heads. But just one minute later, Aguero restored some order, striking an immediate equaliser.
Man City ended up winning the game 4-1, securing the title with 98 points. Aguero himself scored 21 goals, just one goal off the Golden Boot.
Read also: Kevin De Bruyne’s best moments for Manchester City
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