Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
striker. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. He played for
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
from 2011 to 2021 and is the club's
all-time top goalscorer and holds the record for
most Premier League hat-tricks, with 12.
Agüero began his career at the Argentine club
Independiente where, on 5 July 2003, he became the youngest player to play in the
Argentine Primera División
The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...
at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the
27 year record previously set by future father-in-law
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
. In 2006, Agüero moved to
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
in a transfer worth €23 million, establishing himself as one of the world's best young players and one of the most prolific players in La Liga, winning the
Don Balón, the
Golden Boy, and the
World Soccer Young Player of the Year. Agüero also won the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
and the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
while in Madrid.
Agüero signed for Premier League club Manchester City in 2011 in a transfer for a reported fee of £35 million. During his 10 years at the club, he won five league titles, notably scoring a last minute winner in the
final league game of his debut season to win the club its first league title in 44 years. Further honours with the club include a record six
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
s and an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
; he was also part of the club's first
UEFA Champions League final. Agüero won a
Premier League Golden Boot
The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Carling Golden Boot from 1994 to 2001, the Barclaycard Golden Boot from ...
and was twice included in the
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
. He is the sixth
all-time Premier League goalscorer and the second highest non-English scorer in the competition, with
184 goals. He held the record for the most Premier League goals scored by a player for any single club until it was overtaken by
Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich and Captain (association football), c ...
in 2022. In 2021, he joined Barcelona on a
free transfer, before retiring from football aged 33 due to heart problems in the same year. He played just four matches for the club, with his only goal coming in the first
El Clásico of the
2021–22 season.
At international level, Agüero represented the
Argentina under-20 team as they won the
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
and
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...
s.
He played at the
2008 Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...
, scoring two goals in the semi-final against
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
as Argentina won gold. Agüero is
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
's
third-highest all-time top goalscorer and has earned over
100 caps, representing the senior team at three
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s (in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
) and five
Copas América (in
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
and
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
), winning the Copa América in 2021.
Club career
Independiente

Sergio Agüero joined the youth system of
Independiente at the age of nine. He started playing for the side, becoming the youngest player to debut in the first division at 15 years and 35 days (on 5 July 2003 against
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro), when Independiente's coach,
Oscar Ruggeri sent Agüero onto the field as a substitute for
Emanuel Rivas in the 69th minute of the match.
His performance was well received by the press. Despite his early debut, he was not selected again by Ruggeri, and his replacement
Osvaldo Sosa, for the remainder of
2002–03 season, having made only one appearance in the
Torneo Clausura. Following the arrival of coach
Jose Omar Pastoriza, seven months after Agüero's first match he returned to the club's first-team in 4–2 win against
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
's
Cienciano during the group stages of the
2004 Copa Libertadores. This meant that he also became the youngest player to participate in the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
, a record that he held for three years. One month later, Agüero again featured in a Copa Libertadores fixture against
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
's
El Nacional. On 19 June, for the first time, Agüero played a full 90-minute match for Independiente against
Atlético de Rafaela during the
Torneo Clausura. He scored his first goal for Independiente in a 2–2 draw against
Estudiantes on 26 November, with a 22nd minute shot from outside the penalty area.
Agüero became a regular in the club's first-team, being selected for the
Argentina U-20 squad for the
2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which Argentina won.
During the
2005–06 season, Agüero scored 18 goals in 36 league appearances, having missed two games due to suspension. In a 4–0 win against
Racing Club on 11 September, he dribbled from inside of his own half and scored Independiente's fourth goal with a left footed shot.
His first red card came in the Torneo Apertura, after slapping an opponent in a match against
Tiro Federal. His outstanding performances during the
Torneo Apertura attracted interest from a number of large European clubs, and, after months of speculation, Agüero announced on TV in April that he intended to leave the club at the end of the season. Before the end of the season, there had already been speculation of a possible transfer to
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
.
With his performances being lauded by the press, there was talk of a possible call up for Agüero for the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
. In a 2–0 away victory against
Olimpo de Bahia Blanca in round 17 of the Torneo Clausura, Agüero received his fifth yellow card of the season. This prevented him from playing his last game for Independiente in a fixture against
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
in
Avellaneda
Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater B ...
one week later. The yellow card brought tears to his eyes, as television cameras recorded. Agüero, who scored Independiente's second goal of the match later said "I think that it was my last goal for Independiente". He played his last game for Independiente, two weeks later, in a 2–0 away defeat to
Rosario Central. On 30 May, Agüero officially transferred to Atlético Madrid for €20 million, marking a record for the club.
Atlético Madrid
2006–09: Transfer and fast rise to stardom
In May 2006, Agüero joined Spanish club
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
for a fee reported to be around €20 million, breaking the club's previous transfer record. He caused controversy early in his Atlético career by using his hands to score the winning goal against
Recreativo Huelva on 14 October 2006, only his second goal for the club, with the first coming in a 4–1 away win against
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
on 17 September. He ended his first season in Madrid with seven goals in all competitions, eased into European football by manager
Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
, who opted to bring him in and out of the line-up as Atlético finished seventh, enough to qualify for the
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
.
Following the departure of strike partner
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is the curr ...
to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the summer of 2007, Agüero secured his starting spot for the ''Rojiblancos'' and soon became arguably the team's most important player at the age of just 19. In the
2007–08 season, he finished third highest scorer in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, behind
Dani Güiza and
Luís Fabiano, with 19 goals, and was runner up in the ''
Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano'' award. Agüero won many plaudits for his
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
display against
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in March 2008, scoring twice, assisting a goal and winning a penalty for Atlético in a 4–2 win. He also scored important goals against the likes of
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
,
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
,
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
and
Villarreal to help Atlético finish fourth and qualify for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
for the first time in over ten years.
Agüero was once again a regular goalscorer for Atlético in the
2008–09 season, continuing to establish a lethal partnership with
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an striker
Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former football player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his ...
, also a former Independiente player. On 16 September, he scored his first Champions League goals in a 3–0 away win at
PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
, helping Atlético eventually reach the last 16 of the competition. In March 2009, Forlán and Agüero each scored a
brace in a 4–3 win over league leaders Barcelona, the latter scoring the winning goal in the match's final minutes. With the help of more vital goals in a formidable end of the season run-in from his team, Agüero finished in the top ten contenders for the
Pichichi Trophy
In Spanish Association football, football, the Pichichi Trophy () is awarded by the sports newspaper ''Marca (newspaper), Marca'' to the top goalscorer of each La Liga season. Named after the Athletic Bilbao striker Pichichi (footballer), Rafael ...
, which was won by his teammate Forlán. Atlético finished fourth in the league, qualifying for the following season's
Champions League.
2009–11: UEFA Europa League win and departure
Despite not being as prolific in front of goal, Agüero had another good season in
2009–10, and was praised for his influential performances as Atlético enjoyed their most successful season in over a decade. On 3 November 2009, he scored twice against
Chelsea during a 2–2 draw in the Champions League at the
Vicente Calderón. Atlético were knocked out of the competition, but went on to reach the final of the
2009–10 UEFA Europa League
The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years.
Spai ...
, where Agüero assisted both goals in a 2–1
extra time
Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
win against English club
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. He also helped Atlético reach the final of the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, although this time they were not victorious, losing to Sevilla in the
Camp Nou
Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
on 19 May.

On 27 August 2010, Atlético Madrid captured the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
by beating favorites
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
2–0. Agüero provided the assist for
José Antonio Reyes' opening goal and then secured the win by scoring the second. On 4 January 2011, Atlético Madrid confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a new contract which would keep him at the club until 2014. The following day, he was named as the new
vice-captain of Atlético, along with strike partner Diego Forlán. The
2010–11 season was arguably Agüero's most successful for Atlético, as he scored 20 league goals for the first time in his career. Between March and May 2011, he went on a run of seven consecutive goalscoring appearances, a feat that no other player in Europe could match during the season. Agüero's final outing for Atlético came on 21 May against
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
, a game in which he reached two
milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...
s. In a 4–3 win, he scored his first career
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
, the second goal being his 100th for the ''Colchoneros''. Failure to celebrate any of the goals, however, led to speculation that he would be on his way out of the club.
On 23 May 2011, Agüero announced on his official website that he wanted to move from Atlético and formally asked to be released from his contract. Agüero later spoke to
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, where he stated that he would "not be returning to Atlético". On the same day that Agüero officially became a
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
player, Atlético hosted a
2011–12 Europa League qualifier against
Strømsgodset IF, where a group of Atlético fans brandished "Agüero, We Hope You Die" banners in a reaction to the striker's transfer to City at the Vicente Calderón on 28 July 2011, after he had previously stated his desire to see out his contract with the club just weeks before requesting a transfer. Upon his departure, Atlético used the money from Agüero's sale to buy
Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Categoría Primera A club Millonarios F.C., Millonarios. Nicknamed "El ...
as his replacement.
Manchester City
2011–12: Record transfer and Premier League win
On 28 July 2011,
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
confirmed that Agüero had signed a five-year contract with the club. The fee was reported to be in the region of £35 million. He was given the number 16 shirt for his first season at City and, as he did in Atlético, wore the name "Kun Agüero" on his shirt. He was an unused substitute in the
Dublin Super Cup match against Inter Milan and the
2011 FA Community Shield against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
with manager
Roberto Mancini believing Agüero was not yet fit. Agüero made his debut for City on 15 August 2011 in a 4–0 Premier League victory over
Swansea City. Agüero came on as a substitute in the 59th minute, scoring his first goal for the club within nine minutes after a tap-in from a cross from full back
Micah Richards
Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a right-back.
Richards began his senior career with Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and made 245 a ...
. He then turned provider with an assist after chipping over the oncoming goalkeeper before flicking the ball back into the penalty box and into the path of
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a Midfielder#Central midfielder, central or an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder and o ...
to score. Agüero rounded off his debut by scoring again in injury time with a 30-yard strike. His 30-minute debut gained rave reviews among football journalists, with some suggesting it was one of the best in English football.
City continued their strong start, winning 3–2 away at
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
with Agüero missing two chances in the penalty box. On 28 August, Agüero scored his third league goal in Manchester City's 5–1 rout of
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. On his third start for the club, he scored his first
Premier League hat-trick, against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. On 18 September, he scored twice at
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...
against
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
, but City were held to a 2–2 draw. Having been substituted after just 28 minutes due to an injury during a 4–0 win against
Blackburn Rovers on 1 October, Agüero returned to action in a
2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage fixture, where he came on for
Nigel de Jong
Nigel de Jong (born 30 November 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the technical director of the KNVB, the national Dutch football federation. He has also worked as an English ...
on 62 minutes and scored a 93rd-minute winner in his side's 2–1 victory against Villarreal on 18 October. On 23 October, Agüero took part in his first
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
, scoring in the 69th minute as he converted a Micah Richards pass across the face of goal. The match finished 6–1 to City. On 1 November, Agüero was shortlisted for the prestigious
FIFA Ballon d'Or
The FIFA Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball") was an annual association football award presented to the world's best men's player from 2010 to 2015. Awarded jointly by FIFA and ''France Football'', the prize was a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Y ...
. On 19 November, he scored a penalty in a 3–1 win at home to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, ending Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season.
Agüero made his
League Cup debut in the quarter final match against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at the
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
, scoring the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute from an
Adam Johnson through-ball. His next goal came in a 5–1 home win against
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
, opening the scoring in the 32nd minute, giving him his 13th goal of the season and maintaining the team's 100% league record at home. On 21 December, he scored a brace as City beat
Stoke City 3–0 at home. On 3 January 2012, he opened the scoring in a 3–0 win at home to Liverpool, beating
Pepe Reina with a low shot. Agüero scored his 15th goal on 4 February, scoring a penalty against Fulham in a 3–0 win at a snow-covered
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...
.
During the first-leg of a Europa League round of 32 match against
Porto
Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
, Agüero entered the field in the 78th minute for
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''Birth name, né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Genoa CFC, Genoa.
Balotelli started his ...
and scored the match-winning goal, and his first
Europa League goal for Manchester City, in the 85th minute. The game ended 2–1, and, in the second-leg, Agüero scored within 19 seconds in a 4–0 win on 22 February. Manchester City advanced to the
last 16 of the
2011–12 UEFA Europa League, having won 6–1 on aggregate. On 25 February, Agüero scored his 16th league goal in a 3–0 win against Blackburn. During the second-leg of Manchester City's
Round of 16 Europa League fixture against
Sporting CP
Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries, on 15 March, Agüero netted a double to help City claim a 3–2 win, having been trailing 2–0 at half-time, to level the scores at 3–3 on aggregate. Sporting CP won on away goals, as they defeated Manchester City 1–0 in the first-leg on 8 March. One week later, Agüero scored his 17th league goal in 2–1 win against Chelsea on 21 March. On 29 March, Agüero was ruled out for 10 days to two weeks due to a foot problem, which was later diagnosed as a reaction to a substance that blistered his foot.
On 11 April, Agüero scored two goals for himself and also set up another two goals (for David Silva and
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
) in a 4–0 home victory against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. On 14 April, Agüero scored a double in a 6–1 away win against Norwich City, his two goals meaning that he had surpassed 20 league goals in the Premier League. He scored one goal in the next match, in which Manchester City beat
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
2–0. On 4 May, Agüero was named
Manchester City Player of The Year. His first goal in the 6–1 away win against Norwich also won him the club's Goal of the Season award.
Final game of the season
Five straight wins helped City wipe out an eight-point deficit against Manchester United and they went into the final day's fixtures leading on goal difference. Facing relegation-threatened
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
, City needed to match or better United's result at
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
. By the 66th minute, QPR's
Joey Barton was sent off after elbowing Agüero's teammate
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
in the face. After being shown the red card, Barton proceeded to kick Agüero's knee, then attempted to attack
Vincent Kompany
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He is currently the head coach of ...
, only for him to be held back by
Micah Richards
Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a right-back.
Richards began his senior career with Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and made 245 a ...
. Despite that, QPR still went ahead 2–1 against City, while United were 1–0 up against Sunderland.
In response, manager Roberto Mancini sent on strikers
Edin Džeko and
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''Birth name, né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Genoa CFC, Genoa.
Balotelli started his ...
in an attempt to get the two goals City now needed for the title. Five minutes of injury time began for City with their and United's match scores unchanged. Džeko equalised to give City a glimmer of hope and United finished their own game with a 1–0 victory. In the 94th minute, Agüero, receiving the ball from Balotelli, drove into the penalty area and placed a powerful low shot into the corner of the goal, clinching the win and the first top flight English title for Manchester City since 1968.
["Man City snatch dramatic Premier League title win"](_blank)
. BBC. Retrieved 13 May 2012 Agüero's goal sent the
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...
into a frenzy and he was dragged to the floor jubilantly by his City teammates.
Vincent Kompany
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He is currently the head coach of ...
recalled that Agüero was crying on the floor, and when asked if he cried during the Manchester City parade the following day, Agüero stated: "Yeah, a little".
2012–13: Injuries and league runner-up
Agüero started the
2012–13 season in the
2012 FA Community Shield against Chelsea at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
as Manchester City won 3–2.
In Manchester City's first league match, Agüero had to be stretchered off in the 13th minute of their home game against
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
due to a knee injury. Agüero was an unused substitute in City's 3–2 defeat to Real Madrid on 18 September 2012. Following the match, Agüero said he would have joined Real Madrid had they made an offer for him in 2011 but was left with "no option but to join City". Agüero made his return in a 1–1 home draw against Arsenal in the Premier League and went on to score his first goal of the season against Fulham on 29 September in a 2–1 away win in the Premier League. He followed this up with another goal the following weekend against Sunderland in a 3–0 home win. His next league goal came in a 2–1 win at home against Tottenham on 11 November. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in a 5–0 win at home. Agüero also scored in back-to-back games in the Champions League in successive draws at home to
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
and Real Madrid. He scored his next goal on 15 December, where he scored the opening goal, as Manchester City won 3–1 away against Newcastle. Agüero then scored against Norwich City on 29 December in a 4–3 away win. In his next match on 2 January, after scoring a penalty in the 73rd minute, Agüero damaged his hamstring during a 3–0 victory over Stoke.
Agüero made his return for Manchester City on 19 January after coming on as an 81st-minute substitute in a 2–0 victory against Fulham. On 3 February, Agüero scored the equaliser after beating Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina in a race to the ball out near the right corner flag. On 17 February, Agüero helped Manchester City to the quarter-finals of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
as he scored twice in a 4–0 win at home to
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. He sustained a knee injury in the 2–0 win over Chelsea on 24 February. This eventually led to him missing the Argentina squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
matches against
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
and
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. Agüero made his return for Manchester City on 30 March after coming on as a substitute with warm reception in a 4–0 victory against Newcastle.
On 8 April, Agüero scored a solo goal to give City the win in the Manchester derby in the 78th minute, seven minutes after coming on as a
substitute for
Samir Nasri. Agüero then scored a header to help Manchester City defeat Chelsea on 14 April in the FA Cup semi-final and reach the final. In the 82nd minute of the tie, Agüero made a two-footed tackle on
David Luiz
David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fortaleza Esporte Clube, Fortaleza. H ...
after the defender had previously appeared to tackle him. Despite the incident warranting a red card at the time, the FA announced Agüero would not be punished following confirmation that referee
Chris Foy had at least seen part of the incident and acted on it during the match. Many people disagreed with this decision and felt that the FA had failed to act. On 17 April, Agüero revealed that he had apologised to David Luiz for his rash challenge on the defender. Agüero withdrew as a precaution at half-time on 17 April in Manchester City's 1–0 home victory over Wigan after feeling tightness in a hamstring, but he appeared as an unused substitute in City's 3–1 away loss at
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
against Tottenham on 21 April. He scored his next goal on 27 April, where he scored the opening goal, as Manchester City won 2–1 home against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. On 11 May, Agüero started for Manchester City in the
2013 FA Cup Final, where the team lost 1–0 to Wigan. Agüero scored his final goal of the season in a 2–0 away win against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
on 14 May.
''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' reported that he was the main transfer target of Spanish giants Real Madrid, but Agüero responded by saying, "I'm very happy at City and I feel appreciated and loved here which means a lot to me." Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano also negated the idea of a transfer, insisting Agüero would stay at the City of Manchester Stadium. However, former Argentina international
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
backed him to join Real Madrid, believing Agüero's presence in the Madrid team could help get even more out of
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
. On 25 May 2013, Agüero signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Manchester City until 2017. Agüero stated his commitment to Manchester City on 28 May 2013, saying, "I'm committed to Manchester City, it's a great club."
2013–14: Second Premier League win

Following a knee injury that ruled him out of all of the club's pre-season games, Agüero scored in City's 4–0 victory over Newcastle United in the opening game of the
2013–14 Premier League season. On 22 September 2013, he scored a brace in a 4–1 home win against Manchester United. On 8 November, after scoring five goals in four matches between 5 October and 2 November, Agüero was awarded the
Premier League Player of the Month for the first time. During the same period, he had also scored both goals for City in a 2–1 away win against
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
in the
Champions League. He scored six goals in five matches in the
Champions League group stage as Manchester City qualified for the
knockout phase for the first time.
On 14 December 2013, Agüero was substituted in a 6–3 win against Arsenal due to a calf injury and missed eight matches. On 16 January 2014, he returned from injury in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third-round replay against Blackburn Rovers, scoring after coming on as a substitute in the 5–0 win. In the next round of the competition, he scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 4–2 victory over
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
. On 29 January, he scored his 50th Premier League goal in a 5–1 victory at Tottenham but was substituted with a hamstring injury. On 2 March, Agüero returned to the City team for the
2014 Football League Cup Final, where they beat Sunderland 3–1 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
.
In his third appearance since returning from the hamstring problem, Agüero suffered a recurrence of the injury and was withdrawn at half-time in a 2–1 Champions League loss at
Camp Nou
Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
against Barcelona. He missed the team's next five league matches, before returning to the starting line-up in a 3–2 loss against Liverpool at
Anfield
Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
on 13 April. On 21 April, Agüero scored his first goal since January in a 3–1 defeat of West Bromwich Albion at the City of Manchester Stadium. After scoring his final goal of the season in a 3–2 win over
Everton at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
on 3 May, Agüero started for Manchester City against West Ham as the team secured its second Premier League title in three seasons with a 2–0 win.
2014–16: League top goalscorer and individual success
On 14 August 2014, Agüero signed a new five-year contract to keep him at City until 2019. Agüero scored his first goal of
2014–15 while appearing as an 83rd-minute substitute for Edin Džeko in City's opening match of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
season against Newcastle on 17 August. Due to his late return from the World Cup, Agüero was again used as a substitute in the second game of the season against Liverpool, but, after replacing Džeko, took just 23 seconds to score City's third goal in the 3–1 win. On 18 October, he scored all four of City's goals in a 4–1 home win over Tottenham, two of which were penalties; he took another penalty in the match, but it was saved by
Hugo Lloris
Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris (born 26 December 1986) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.
Lloris began his career wi ...
. This took Agüero to 61 Premier League goals for the club, surpassing Carlos Tevez as the club's record scorer in the competition. He was the first player in the season to reach ten Premier League goals, doing so with the only goal in the Manchester derby on 2 November.
Agüero scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in City's 3–2 win over
Bayern Munich in the
Champions League group stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
on 25 November, starting with a penalty which he won himself. Five days later, in his 100th Premier League match, he was wrongly booked for
simulation
A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...
by referee
Mike Jones after being fouled by
José Fonte in the penalty area, although City went on to defeat Southampton 3–0. On 2 December, Agüero was named the
Football Supporters' Federation Player of the Year for 2014. He was also awarded
Premier League Player of the Month for November 2014, a month in which he scored three league goals and assisted two more.
Agüero sustained a knee injury in the second minute of Manchester City's 1–0 win over Everton on 6 December and was unable to appear again for the remainder of 2014. He returned to City's matchday squad for the return fixture with Everton at Goodison Park on 10 January 2015 and appeared as a 67th-minute substitute in the 1–1 draw. On 11 February, he scored his first two goals of 2015 in a 4–1 win at Stoke City. On 21 February, 72 seconds into a match against Newcastle United, Agüero scored the fastest penalty kick in the Premier League since 1994. On 12 April, Agüero scored twice in a 4–2 derby loss to Manchester United at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. His second goal of the match took him to 100 goals for City in all competitions. On 19 April, he scored his 20th league goal of the season in a 2–0 home win against West Ham United. He passed 30 goals for the season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers on 9 May, relegating the opponents. On 24 May, in City's final match of the season against Southampton, Agüero scored his 26th league goal of the season, ending 2014–15 with the
Premier League Golden Boot
The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Carling Golden Boot from 1994 to 2001, the Barclaycard Golden Boot from ...
.
On 7 August 2015, Agüero announced he would be switching from his number 16 shirt to the number 10 shirt, previously worn by teammate
Edin Džeko. Nine days later, he opened the scoring in a 3–0 home victory over reigning champions Chelsea. During City's 2–0 victory away at Everton on 23 August, Agüero halted the game after noticing that an Everton supporter was in need of emergency treatment. The striker alerted the referee and the other players and made sure that the man received attention from the medics. On 30 September, Agüero earned and converted a last-minute penalty to give City a 2–1 win at
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
in the
Champions League group stage. On 3 October, Agüero scored five goals against Newcastle in a 6–1 comeback win, joining
Andy Cole,
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
,
Jermain Defoe and
Dimitar Berbatov in scoring as many in a Premier League game. His five goals within 23 minutes of game time made it the fastest five-goal haul since the Premier League started in 1992. Four minutes after scoring his fifth goal in the 62nd minute, Agüero was substituted by manager
Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
, as he had been receiving treatment due to a leg injury at half time.
On 8 October, in a
2018 World Cup qualifying match against
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, Agüero sustained a hamstring injury early on and was carried off the pitch in tears. Agüero himself said he expected to be out for around four weeks (in which the derby against Manchester United was to be played), although several media outlets later claimed the injury would last for eight weeks. He returned on 21 November, scoring in a 1–4 home loss to Liverpool; this was his 85th Premier League goal, making him the top-scoring South American of all time in the division, ahead of his compatriot and former strike partner Carlos Tevez. On 16 April 2016, Agüero scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win at Chelsea, ending with a penalty kick. He became the third visiting player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, and the fifth player to have three 20-goal seasons in the division. Three days later, he scored his
100th Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw at Newcastle. He reached the century in 147 games, second only to
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
who did so in 124. The goal was also his sixth against Newcastle for the season, making him just the sixth player in the Premier League era to have scored six goals against the same club in a single campaign. Agüero ended the
2015–16 Premier League
The 2015–16 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...
season with 24 goals, one behind Golden Boot winner
Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich and Captain (association football), c ...
and level with
Jamie Vardy. However, with his goals coming from 30 appearances, Agüero recorded the league's best goals to minute ratio.
2016–20: All-time club top scorer, sustained domestic success
On 13 August 2016, Agüero scored Manchester City's first competitive goal under the management of
Pep Guardiola
Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
in a 2–1 victory against Sunderland on the opening day of the
2016–17 Premier League season. In a league match against West Ham on 28 August, Agüero struck opponent
Winston Reid
Winston Wiremu Reid (born 3 July 1988) is a New Zealand former association football, footballer. He is most known for his time as a Defender (association football), defender with club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United and captaining the N ...
in the throat with his arm, an incident which went unpunished by the referee. Reid lost his voice with the strike, and had to be substituted. The FA gave Agüero a three-match ban for violent conduct, accusing him of behaving in an "aggressive manner that was excessive in force and brutal". On 5 November, Agüero scored his 150th goal for Manchester City in a 1–1 draw against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
in the league. Agüero was sent off in a 1–3 loss to Chelsea on 3 December for a tackle on
David Luiz
David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fortaleza Esporte Clube, Fortaleza. H ...
and was given a four-match suspension.
Having scored on Manchester City's opening fixture of the season against
Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 August 2017, Agüero scored his second goal of the season against Liverpool in a 5–0 win on 9 September. This was his 124th Premier League goal, and saw him overtake Trinidadian
Dwight Yorke as the top-scoring non-European in the competition's history. One week later, Agüero scored his sixth Premier League hat-trick in a 6–0 win at
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
to put Manchester City top of the league. On 28 September, he was involved in a road accident after attending a
Maluma
Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. Arias released his debu ...
concert in Amsterdam, when his taxi crashed into a lamppost. He was left with a fractured rib and ruled out for two weeks.
On 21 October, Agüero scored his 177th goal for Manchester City in a 3–0 win over
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, equalling the record set by
Eric Brook. This was also the ''Citizens'' 11th straight win, equalling another club record. He scored his record 178th goal for the team on 1 November away at
Napoli
Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
in a Champions League group game, a 4–2 win that sent his team through to the knockout stages of the competition. On 20 January 2018, Agüero scored a perfect hat-trick, his second of the season, against Newcastle in a 3–1 win with his second goal being the landmark 350th goal of his career. He was later awarded the
Premier League Player of the Month for January, claiming the award for the fifth time in his career.
On 10 February, Agüero scored four goals in a 5–1
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
home thrashing of
Leicester City, claiming his third hat-trick of the season. He opened the scoring in the
2018 EFL Cup Final on 25 February, by chipping
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
's
David Ospina in a 1vs1 situation, ultimately helping City secure a convincing 3–0 victory at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
.
In City's first game of the 2018–19 season, Agüero scored both goals in the 2–0
2018 FA Community Shield victory over Chelsea, the first goal being his 200th for the club.
On 19 August 2018, Agüero scored his 9th Premier League hat-trick in a 6–1 home victory against
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
, putting him behind only
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
's 11. He also leapfrogged
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and was ...
to enter the league's top ten scorers of all time, and second place in foreign Premier League scorers only to
Thierry Henry's 175. Agüero hit the post twice in a 1–1 away draw against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
. On 21 September, Manchester City confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a new contract with the club which would keep him at the club until 2021. On 22 September, in his 300th appearance for Manchester City, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 5–0 away win over Cardiff City.
On 4 November, Agüero scored his 150th Premier League goal in a 6–1 home win over Southampton in his 217th Premier League appearance; he became only the ninth player in history to achieve this landmark, and only the third player after Henry and
Wayne Rooney to do so for one club. He was also the second-fastest player to reach this milestone, after Shearer, who took five fewer appearances. On 11 November, Agüero scored the second goal in a 3–1 win against Manchester United, making him the joint highest scorer in Manchester derbies in the Premier League era, level with Rooney. On 29 January 2019, Agüero scored after 24 seconds in an eventual 2–1 defeat at Newcastle United. On 3 February, he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal, including a goal after 48 seconds, bringing his Premier League tally of hat-tricks to ten, in a 3–1 win at the Etihad Stadium. On 10 February, Agüero scored his 11th Premier League hat-trick, as City defeated rivals Chelsea 6–0 at home; with this feat, he equalled Shearer's record of 11 in the competition. The hat trick also saw him overtake
Tommy Johnson's and Eric Brook's record of 158 league goals for the club, and set a new record of 160 goals. The following month, he scored twice in a 7–0 (10–2 aggregate) Champions League win over
Schalke 04 and in doing so helped the club equal the record for the largest winning margin in the knockout-phase of the competition.
On 10 August 2019, Agüero came on as a substitute replacing Gabriel Jesus, in a match that was dominated by the newly introduced
VAR, at the
London Stadium
London Stadium (formerly and also known as the Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford, London, Stratford district of London. It is loc ...
against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. With City 3–0 up, they were awarded a penalty for a foul on
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Karim Mahrez (born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and captains the Algeria national team. He is regarded as one of the best African players of all time.
Ma ...
. Agüero took the penalty and it was saved by opposing keeper
Łukasz Fabiański
Łukasz Marek Fabiański (born 18 April 1985) is a Polish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United. He will become a free agent on ...
. However, VAR stepped in and re-awarded the penalty for an infringement by
Declan Rice. Agüero scored the re-awarded penalty in an eventual 5–0 away opening day win for the ''Citizens'' to start their Premier League title defence. On 12 January 2020, Agüero scored 12th hattrick of his
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
career against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in 6–1 away victory at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
, taking his individual tally past Henry's 175 goal mark. Agüero scored the 399th and 400th goals of his professional career in a 3–1 away win over
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
on 25 August.
2020–21: Final season, European finalist
After several weeks on the sidelines due to a
meniscus injury, Agüero returned to action on 17 October 2020 in a 1–0 victory against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. On 21 October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Porto in the
2020–21 UEFA Champions League. On 13 March 2021, Agüero scored his first league goal since January 2020 in a 3–0 away win against
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. On 29 March 2021, City announced that Agüero would leave the club at the end of the season following the expiry of his contract. On 23 May, on his final league appearance for the club, Agüero came off the bench to score twice in an eventual 5–0 home win over Everton, as City celebrated their Premier League title victory on the last matchday of the season; his brace saw him reach 184 league goals in 275 appearances, breaking
Wayne Rooney's record for most Premier League goals for a single club. On 29 May, he played his last match for the club after he came on as substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 loss against Chelsea in the
Champions League final, where he was seen crying at the end, having failed to win the Champions League in his final game with City. In total, Agüero managed 260 goals for City in 390 appearances.
Barcelona and retirement
On 31 May 2021, Agüero agreed to sign for
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
on a two-year contract starting 1 July, with a buyout clause set at €100 million.
On 17 October, he debuted as a substitute in a 3–1 home victory against Valencia. In his first
El Clásico appearance on 24 October, Agüero came on as a substitute in the 77th minute, scoring his first goal for the club in the last minute of play of a 2–1 home defeat to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
. One week later, he was taken to hospital with chest discomfort diagnosed as
cardiac arrhythmia
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beat ...
during an eventual 1–1 home draw against
Alavés. It was reported in November that he would be out of action for at least three months, but on 15 December, Agüero announced his retirement from football on the advice of doctors, and thanked the teams he had played for.
International career
Youth teams
Agüero was selected for the
Argentina U17 team to participate at the
2004 U-16 South American Championship in Paraguay in September. He participated in all of Argentina's group stage matches, scoring in a 2–1 win against the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and a 3–1 win against
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
to help Argentina finish top of their group. Agüero scored in the 47th minute of Argentina's 1–0 quarter-final victory against
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, setting up a semi-final match against
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
which Argentina lost 2–0.
Agüero represented Argentina at two
FIFA World Youth Championships, winning back-to-back world titles. He was part of the team that won the
2005 edition in the Netherlands, alongside his future 2008 Olympics squad teammates
Fernando Gago and
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
. At the
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the scor ...
, held in Canada, Agüero scored twice and helped set up three goals in a 6–0 win over
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
in the second game of the group stage of the tournament. He then scored the only goal in Argentina's third match against
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
from a free kick. Having qualified to the round of 16, he scored two of the three goals against
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
that would eventually give them a
3–1 win to advance to the next round. Argentina defeated
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
in the quarter-finals and
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
in the semi-finals, and faced the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
in the finals, a team they drew
0–0 in the group stage. Agüero captained and scored the equaliser in the 62nd minute, leading to a
2–1 victory. In addition, Agüero won the Golden Boot of the tournament, scoring six goals in seven, and the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.
As a member of the Argentine squad for the
2008 Beijing Olympics, Agüero scored two goals in the space of five minutes in the semi-final
3–0 win over
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 19 August 2008. Argentina went on to win its second consecutive gold medal at the Olympic tournament.
Senior team
Debut, 2010 World Cup and 2011 Copa América
At age 18, Agüero debuted for the
Argentine senior squad in a friendly match against
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 3 September 2006, played at
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
, England. One year later, he scored his first international goal in a
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oc ...
match against
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, and went on to score three more times as the ''Albiceleste'' successfully qualified for the finals in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
Agüero was named in the 23-man squad for the
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international association football, football tournament for national ...
where Argentina had been drawn into Group A with
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, and
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. On 1 July, in Argentina's opening
group stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
match against Bolivia, he came on for
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Ezequiel Iván "Pocho" Lavezzi (, ; born 3 May 1985) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. During his career, his most important attributes were his pace, hardworking style of play, technique, creativity, and d ...
on 71 minutes and scored an equaliser on 76 minutes to secure a 1–1 draw. On 11 July, in Argentina's third group stage match against Costa Rica, Agüero scored a goal in each half as Argentina won 3–0 and finished in second position in their group.
2014 World Cup, and 2015 and 2016 Copas América
Agüero was named in Argentina's 23-man squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
. On 15 June, he started alongside Lionel Messi as a forward in Argentina's 2–1 win against
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
at the
Estádio do Maracanã.
Agüero was named in the Argentine squad for the
2015 Copa América, and in a warm-up game on 7 June against Bolivia in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to:
* San Juan, Puerto Rico
* San Juan, Argentina
* San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines
San Juan may also refer to:
Places Arge ...
, he scored his first international hat-trick in a 5–0 victory. On 13 June, he scored Argentina's opening goal of the tournament in a 2–2
group stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
draw with
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. Three days later at the same ground, he headed a cross from Manchester City teammate
Pablo Zabaleta for a 1–0 win against holders
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. At the semi-final stage, Agüero headed in
Ángel Di María's cross as Argentina defeated Paraguay 6–1 to reach the
2015 Copa América Final. Agüero started the final against
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, but was replaced in the 74th minute for Gonzalo Higuaín in an eventual penalty shootout loss.
Agüero was included in
Gerardo Martino
Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who last coached Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He ...
's 23-man squad for the
Copa América Centenario and scored his first goal of the tournament in Argentina's second group match, a 5–0 win over
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
on 10 June 2016, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. Agüero considered retiring from international football shortly after losing against
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
in a penalty shootout in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the tournament for a second consecutive time.
2018 World Cup, 2019 Copa América, and 2021 Copa América
On 14 November 2017, Agüero was taken to hospital after fainting in the dressing room at half-time in a 4–2 loss to
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
in a friendly match in
Krasnodar
Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.
In May 2018, Agüero was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man
squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
; later that month, he was included in
Jorge Sampaoli's final 23-man squad for the competition. In his team's first group match of the tournament against
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
on 16 June, he scored the opening goal of an eventual 1–1 draw; this was his first ever World Cup goal. In the round of 16 match against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 30 June, Agüero scored Argentina's final goal in a 4–3 defeat, which saw his side eliminated from the World Cup.
On 21 May 2019, he was included in
Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the
2019 Copa América. In Argentina's final group match against
Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
on 23 June, Agüero scored the second goal in a 2–0 win, which enabled his team to advance to the knock-out stages. On 28 June, in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Agüero assisted
Lautaro Martínez's opening goal, and was also involved in the second goal, scored by
Giovani Lo Celso, as Argentina defeated Venezuela 2–0 to advance to the semi-finals. In the third-place match against Chile on 6 July, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 win, to help Argentina capture the bronze medal.
On 28 June 2021, Agüero made his
100th senior international appearance for Argentina in a 4–1 win against Bolivia in his team's final group stage match of the
2021 Copa América
The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football, football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to ...
, also setting up Messi's second goal. Argentina eventually won the tournament.
During the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, Agüero was present with the winning Argentine team for the duration of the tournament as an unofficial supporter, as his heart conditions had forced his retirement a year earlier. Though not an official member of the team, he was seen celebrating with the players after their win in the final.
Style of play
Often considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, Agüero is regarded as an all-out
centre forward
In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...
, although he is a versatile player, who can also play as a
second striker off another striker, which he often did at Atlético Madrid with
Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former football player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his ...
,
due to his passing ability, link-up play, tactical intelligence, and vision, which made him a capable
assist-man.
When asked to name the players who influenced his playing style, Agüero named former Brazilian striker
Ronaldo,
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
,
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...
and
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
as the best players to have played the game, but said that the player who influenced his style of play the most was "the Brazilian Ronaldo". Aguero has a diminutive figure with a stocky build, which has led to comparisons with former Manchester City teammate
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
and past forwards such as
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria (born 29 January 1966), known simply as Romário (), is a Brazilian politician and former professional association football, footballer who is currently a Senator for Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro and the presi ...
,
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for ...
,
and Diego Maradona.
When both were on the same team, some pundits called Agüero Tevez's heir apparent at City and others said that he was superior to his compatriot. His ex-manager at Manchester City,
Roberto Mancini, has compared Agüero to former Brazilian striker, Romário, due to his pace, goalscoring ability, positioning in the area, and technique.
Although naturally right footed, Agüero is also capable of striking well with his left foot, and can finish well both inside and outside the area with his powerful and accurate shot.
A prolific goalscorer, Agüero's playing style is characterised by agility, acceleration, excellent movement off the ball, and strength, being described as "sharp and clever" by former Argentine player
Osvaldo Ardiles; a view which is shared by his international captain Lionel Messi, who believes Agüero possesses "immense power, strength and an incredible work ethic". Combined with his close control, quick feet,
dribbling
In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score.
As ...
skills, and strength to keep the ball, he has been described as "a menace in the box".
Despite his ability, Agüero's playing time has often been limited by injuries throughout his career.
Personal life
Agüero was formerly married to Giannina Maradona, the youngest daughter of
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
. On 19 February 2009, Giannina gave birth to their son, Benjamín, in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. Diego Maradona was there for the birth of his first grandson, while Agüero, then 20, missed Atlético's training session earlier in the day. Atlético offered their congratulations in a statement on their official website. Agüero and Giannina divorced in 2012 after four years of marriage.
Agüero's nickname "Kun", which features on his shirt, dates back to his childhood. It was first given to him by his grandparents, due to a resemblance to the character "
Kum-Kum" from the anime ''Wanpaku Omukashi Kumu Kumu'' which was Agüero's favourite television programme as a child.
He said "I have grown to appreciate it because it's unique. It's not every day an athlete is nicknamed after a cartoon character!"
Agüero has a tattoo on the inside of his right arm inscribed in
Tengwar
The Tengwar () script is an artificial script, one of Tolkien's scripts, several scripts created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of ''The Lord of the Rings''. Within the context of Tolkien's fictional world, the Tengwar were invented by the ...
—a form of writing invented by
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...
in ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
''—that transliterates roughly to ''Kun Agüero'' in the
Latin script
The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of his son's name and date of birth. Agüero holds
Spanish nationality, after being granted citizenship in 2010 whilst playing for
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
.
Gastón del Castillo and
Mauricio del Castillo are brothers of Agüero.
Agüero shares a close friendship with
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
, his regular roommate during outings for the national team since 2005. He described Messi as being "like a brother" in his 2014 autobiography, ''Born to Rise'', which contains a foreword written by Messi.
During the three-month football break due to the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in 2020, Agüero started live-streaming himself playing various video games on
Twitch. He became the fastest-growing streamer in the month of May, reaching 1 million followers. He has been especially popular among the Spanish-speaking community, collaborating with many big names such as
El Rubius and even calling Messi once live on air. In November 2022, Agüero joined the newly established
Kings League serving as chairman for one of the competing teams, Kunisports, featuring as a guest player for his own side.
Agüero welcomed his second child, a daughter named Olivia, with actress Sofía Calzetti in 2024. In 2025,
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
released ''
Kun by Agüero'', a documentary series about his life and career.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Agüero goal.''
Honours
Atlético Madrid
*
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
:
2009–10
*
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
:
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
runner-up:
2009–10
Manchester City
*
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
:
2011–12,
2013–14,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2020–21
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
:
2018–19; runner-up:
2012–13
*
Football League/EFL Cup:
2013–14,
[ 2015–16, 2017–18,][ 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
* ]FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
: 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,[ ]2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,[ ]2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
* UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
runner-up: 2020–21
Argentina U20
* FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...
: 2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
Argentina U23
* Olympic Gold Medal: 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
[
Argentina
* ]Copa América
The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...
: 2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
* FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
runner-up: 2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Individual
* South American Team of the Year: 2005
* FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball: 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
* FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Shoe: 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
* Golden Boy: 2007
* La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 2007–08
* Don Balón Award: 2007–08
* World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2009
* Manchester City Player of the Year: 2011–12, 2014–15
* Manchester City Goal of the Season: 2011–12
* Premier League Player of the Month: October 2013, November 2014, January 2016, April 2016, January 2018, February 2019, January 2020
* Premier League Golden Boot
The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Carling Golden Boot from 1994 to 2001, the Barclaycard Golden Boot from ...
: 2014–15
* FSF Player of the Year: 2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
*Premier League Player of the Year by Northwest Football Awards: 2015
* PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 2017–18 Premier League, 2018–19 Premier League
* Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
Premier League Team of the Decade: 2010–2019
* IFFHS CONMEBOL team of the decade 2011–2020
* Premier League Hall of Fame: 2022
See also
* List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official appearance for their national team. This article lists all men's football players who have played in 100 or more official internat ...
* List of most-followed Twitch channels
The live streaming social platform Twitch (service), Twitch launched in 2011 and is an important platform for digital entertainment. The distribution of followers across all of the streamers on Twitch follows the power law, and is a useful metr ...
References
External links
*
Profile
at Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Assoc ...
Profile
at FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguero, Sergio
1988 births
Living people
Footballers from Quilmes
Argentine men's footballers
Argentina men's under-20 international footballers
Argentina men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Club Atlético Independiente footballers
Atlético Madrid footballers
Manchester City F.C. players
FC Barcelona players
Argentine Primera División players
La Liga players
Premier League players
First Division/Premier League top scorers
UEFA Europa League–winning players
Kings League players
Olympic footballers for Argentina
Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2010 FIFA World Cup players
2011 Copa América players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
2015 Copa América players
Copa América Centenario players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
2019 Copa América players
2021 Copa América players
Olympic gold medalists for Argentina
Olympic medalists in football
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Copa América–winning players
Golden Boy winners
Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Naturalised citizens of Spain
Maradona family
FIFA Men's Century Club
Premier League Hall of Fame inductees
Argentine Twitch (service) streamers
21st-century Argentine sportsmen