Sergio Aguero's iconic moments for Man City, Atletico Madrid and more

Dan Burnham
15 December 2021

19 Sergio Aguero of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santader match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Barcelona.

The 33-year-old has officially announced his retirement from soccer due to health reasons. The player leaves behind a host of wonderful memories.

Sergio Aguero arrived on British soil in July 2011 tasked with scoring the goals that would propel Manchester City to the next level in their quest for soccer domination, and boy did he deliver.

Billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour had been at the helm for three seasons and already clocked up hundreds of millions in transfer fees before splashing out 38 more on Aguero, with 'only' one FA Cup to show for it.

However, the Argentinian striker netted 23 times, including *that* last-gasp winner, to secure the elusive Premier League title in his first season in a sky blue shirt.

He certainly hasn't looked back since, smashing records galore over the past decade.

A calf injury and now a heart condition have overshadowed his move to Barcelona, with the Argentine striker restricted to just five appearances.

Aguero's press conference to announce his retirement was an emotional one, however he will have a plethora of iconic moments both for the Citizens and previous clubs Atletico Madrid and Independiente to look back on. Planet Sport celebrates the genius by picking out our top ten.

10) Impossible goal

Having had the dream debut season in Manchester, the 2012/13 campaign proved to be more frustrating for the forward. 'Kun', as he was affectionately nicknamed by his grandparents, was hampered by injuries that kept him out for several short periods.

He was on hand, though, to score from the most ridiculous of angles against Liverpool in February of that season.

He latched onto a Gareth Barry through ball and skipped past an on-rushing Pepe Reina, before proceeding to defy the laws of physics and score from practically the corner flag.

9) Derby delight

There have been few bigger statements made in Premier League history than City's 6-1 demolition of their arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2011.

The comprehensive victory proved that the "noisy neighbours", as previously described by Sir Alex Ferguson, weren't all bark and no bite.

Aguero might not have been the star man on the day, with strike partners Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli grabbing a brace each, but he did bag his first of many derby goals to help his side inflict Man United's biggest home defeat since February 1955, and play a part in a day that City fans will never forget.

8) Youngest Primera Player

The first record that Kun broke came in his debut professional appearance, which in hindsight was probably a sign from above of what was to come.

In July 2003, he entered the fray for Independiente against San Lorenzo aged just 15 years and 35 days, becoming the youngest player to appear in the Argentine Primera Division.

The record had been previously held by one Diego Maradona, who six years later became grandfather to Aguero's son Benjamin - funny how the world works, eh?

With no one yet to debut at a younger age in Argentina's top flight, the record is Aguero's longest standing in a very lengthy list.

7) MOTM vs Barca

In a game that featured Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Henry, Eto'o, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, a 19-year-old Aguero was the brightest star on the pitch in March 2008.

He scored twice, assisted once and won a penalty to help Atleti to a 4-2 win over Barcelona, and just like that, he had captured the attention of the footballing world.

His man-of-the-match performance was so impressive that Spanish newspaper Diario AS gave it four stars - their rating scale is usually only out of three.

6) Five-star performance

Aguero had just one 2015/16 league goal to his name when October's home game against Newcastle rolled around, so casually decided to multiply his tally for the season by six.

He scored five goals in the space of 23 minutes either side of half-time in a 6-1 trouncing that the Etihad crowd have been accustomed to in recent years.

In doing so he became the fifth player to achieve the feat in a Premier League game after Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov, and he did it quicker than any of them.

5) Europa League victory

Kun won trophy after trophy for City, but his first major honour came back in 2010 when Atletico beat Fulham 2-1 in the Europa League final.

Although not getting on the scoresheet, he was pivotal to Los Colchoneros' success, putting the ball on a plate twice for Diego Forlan's double.

The impressive display was the latest in a long line of performances that were drawing the attention of Europe's powerhouses.

It also proved to be the catalyst for his most successful year in a red and white shirt in the following 2010/11 season. Also his last at the Vincente Calderon, he bagged 20 league goals for the first time and secured a century of strikes for the Spanish side.

4) Legend status

If notching 100 goals for Atletico wasn't impressive enough, then his tally of more than 250 for City might go some way to convincing you of his star quality.

It's no shock that tally puts him at the top of their all-time goalscorers list, and it was against Napoli in the 2017/18 Champions League group stage that he surpassed the club record of 177 goals, which had been held by Eric Brook for 78 years.

His strike in that 4-2 win cemented his name in the history books and underlined his legend status.

Man City have confirmed that a statue of Sergio Aguero is in the works alongside Vincent Kompany and David Silva.

Fully deserved 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Y6OP0fNM3Q
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) March 29, 2021

3) City debut

If any game embodies the outstanding quality of Sergio Aguero, it's his debut for Manchester City against Swansea.

He replaced Nigel de Jong in the 59th minute and scored a trademark right-place, right-time tap-in for his first goal in England after just nine minutes of being on the pitch.

If you thought that was quick, it only took Aguero three more minutes to pull the ball back expertly for David Silva to finish and grab his first assist.

He rounded off a perfect start to life in M11 by powering home a 90th minute, 30-yard belter. We'll get to the perfect ending of that season soon…

2) Hat-trick record

January 12, 2020 was a very special day for the man from Buenos Aires, as not only did he overtake Thierry Henry as the Premier League's all-time leading overseas scorer, but he also secured his 12th Premier League hat-trick, a number that no other player has reached.

Aguero may have fallen some way short of Alan Shearer's 260 Premier League goals, but he surpassed the Match of the Day pundit's record of 11 trebles in a 6-0 win at Villa Park.

A trio of right-footed finishes did the job to add to his three-goal hauls against Wigan, Tottenham, QPR, Newcastle, Chelsea, Watford, Newcastle again, Leicester, Huddersfield, Arsenal and Chelsea once more.

1) 93:20

There could only ever be one moment that tops this list and it's the one that gives you goosebumps every time you watch it.

On the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League season, needing to win the game to snatch the title from the red side of Manchester, City trailed 2-1 at home to QPR heading into five minutes of added time.

Dzeko levelled in the 92nd minute, and then, 120 seconds later… "AGUEROOOOOO!"

The unbelievable moment, which is one of the game's most iconic yet alone Aguero's, will never grow old, so as Martin Tyler requested, "watch it, drink it in" and appreciate the brilliance of one of the best strikers the beautiful game has ever seen.