Sergio Aguero leaves colossal Man City legacy as one of Premier League’s most ruthless marksmen

Sergio Aguero’s decade of brilliance in sky blue has been a treat for many more besides Manchester City fans, though the red half of the city will wave the deadly Argentine off with a sigh of relief.

‘Kun’ Aguero arrived at the Etihad almost 10 years ago from Atletico Madrid, but his relentless appetite for goals shattered all expectations, proving himself to be a £35 million bargain.

His staggering numbers and longevity, currently standing at 257 goals in 384 matches, place him in illustrious company, with just Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andy Cole (187) eclipsing his 181 strikes in the Premier League.

With 10 pieces of silverware including four league titles, a fitting tribute arrives in the form of a statue outside the Etihad, alongside Vincent Kompany and David Silva, immortalising his legacy.

And while Aguero will forever be remembered most fondly at City for that goal against QPR, which enabled a fanbase to truly believe they belonged at the highest level, there is much more besides the pandemonium witnessed on 13 May, 2012.

A player that seldom damaged the opposition outside of the box, Aguero’s game was beautifully simple and, like fellow greats, he regularly displayed a signature goal.

A short back lift, married with the precision and power of his strike towards goal, proved to be a deadly combination that ensured defenders never truly grasped how to defend this magnificent No 10.

No part of the net was safe, either, as demonstrated by crucial goals in the derby at Old Trafford in 2013 and at the Etihad against Liverpool in 2019, with Aguero’s creative mind able to manipulate the ball even from close range like Phil Mickelson’s short-game wizardry.

While there may have been less glitz and glamour to his brilliance than other legendary Premier League forwards, such as Thierry Henry, mastering this aforementioned technique alongside a subtle touch and close control, which only served to infuriate defenders by nudging the ball just out of reach, routinely produced the goods.

So much so that Aguero resisted a pivotal period of evolution in the sport, as managers introduced complicated patterns of play into the final third to elevate standards beyond what was previously imagined.

It was his chapter therefore with Pep Guardiola, his manager since 2016, that epitomised Aguero’s longevity and transcending quality.

The former Independiente jewell largely shunned the more intricate side of the game that the Spanish tactician relentlessly demanded from his team, instead leaning on his ruthlessly efficient finishing like a heavyweight boxer and his trusted jab.

He successfully resisted what may have been interpreted as an initial nudge towards the exit, to emerge as a key piece of Guardiola’s revolution in Manchester, with three successive seasons breaking the 30-goal barrier, while last season’s total of 23 (0.72 goals per game) was equally as prolific as his previous season (0.70 goals per game) on a per game basis.

So, where next? Despite his age, Aguero will be 33 years old before next season arrives, this summer will represent a rare opportunity for one club able to snap up a player of this calibre on a free transfer.

A belated partnership with compatriot Lionel Messi at Barcelona presents a tantalising prospect, while the romantic final chapter may still see him wear Rojo once more back in Avellaneda.

So after a decade of trading almost exclusively in goals, Aguero appears set for his swansong, he departs the Etihad as a Premier League legend and one of the most feared strikers of his generation.