Sergio Aguero will leave Premier League giants Manchester City at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, the club announced on Monday.
The Argentina striker, the Cityzens’ record goalscorer with 257 goals in 384 appearances across all competitions, was told that the club won’t renew his contract after it expires in the summer.
Aguero joined City from La Liga side Atletico Madrid in 2011, for a fee of £38m, and went on to win four championships, one FA Cup and five League Cups.
— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) March 29, 2021
The club icon had made an instant impact on his arrival, scoring twice and creating an assist in his thirty-minute cameo debut in a 4-0 home win over Swansea City. There onwards, it has been an unforgettable tale of a player who is the highest overseas goalscorer in the English top-flight league.
Aguero’s first taste of glory - and arguably the greatest of all time - came in the final game of the 2011/12 campaign against QPR. With the scores at 2-2, the former Atletico attacker struck in the 94th minute of stoppage time to give City their first silverware in 44 years and a first Premier League title.
In 2017, Sergio Aguero broke Eric Brook’s 78-year record of 177 goals for City when he netted his 178th goal in the 4-2 win over Napoli to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer in just 264 appearances.
In January 2020, Aguero added a new chapter to his legacy in the Premier League as he overtook Alan Shearer as the player with most Premier League hat-tricks, after registering his 12th away at Aston Villa.
The 33-year-old will depart the soon-to-be crowned league champions as the fourth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history but will be regarded as the striker with the best minutes-to-goal ratio, 108.3 minutes per goal which is significantly greater than that of Arsenal icon Thierry Henry’s ratio of 121.8 mins per goal.
While announcing his departure, Manchester City stated that the Argentine will be honoured with a statue at the Etihad alongside Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
The news has sent the sporting world into a frenzy, with a few of his current and former team-mates, and some Premier League legends taking to Twitter to express their heartfelt gratitude to the departing forward.
A city legend for ever 💙 pic.twitter.com/buAV29lEAj
— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) March 29, 2021
On and off the pitch, always a class act. Love you hermano @aguerosergiokun 🙏🏻❤️ I wish you nothing but the very best for the future. Really sad to see you leave like this but we still have a lot to accomplish with you until that 💙 #agueroooooo pic.twitter.com/jnPKtQli8p
— Aymeric Laporte (@Laporte) March 29, 2021
Some player .... deserves every accolade he'll get, will miss watching this legend in the @premierleague
— Robbie Fowler (@Robbie9Fowler) March 29, 2021
Legend. What a player 👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/xofI4zdYtO
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) March 29, 2021
You have given football fans in this country so much to remember: goals, guile and the greatest Premier League moment of them all. Well played and good wishes for whatever comes next. Gracias por todo. Espero que tengas mucha suerte. https://t.co/WDlViCB7Cu
— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) March 29, 2021
— Pablo Zabaleta (@pablo_zabaleta) March 29, 2021
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Glyn Kirk
