Kun Agüero closes the first change of cycle at City
Manchester City is a business model within football. Something that many teams have tried to turn into and which has ended in ruin. In Spain, Malaga, Almeria and Valencia suffer the pain of being in the hands of investment funds that don't care about football.
On 1 September 2008 Abu Dhabi United Group bought City for £200 million. Six months earlier, on 1 March 2008, Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo conquered the Camp Nou in an Atlético de Madrid shirt. Two goals, an assist for Maxi Gómez and a penalty converted by Forlán. The public finally knew the potential of an Argentinian from Quilmes born on 2 June 1988.
While the petrodollars put Manchester City in order and reorganised the club, Agüero continued to pull the red and white bandwagon. Those were the times of the "pupas". Seasons where everything was possible. Kun Agüero survived a procession of coaches who did not know how to find the way to victory. Javier Aguirre, Abel Resino, Santi Denia, Quique Sánchez Flores, Gregorio Manzano and the long-awaited Simeone in January 2012.
It has been 15 years since Agüero was transferred from Independiente to Atlético de Madrid for 22 million euros. García Pitarch handed a diamond in the rough to Javier Aguirre in the 2006/2007 season. He made 234 appearances and scored 101 goals. He was one of the pillars on which Sánchez Flores built the Atlético that Simeone would inherit. He went from playing in the Intertoto in 07/08 to lifting a Europa League and a European Super Cup. Atletico's pupas were cured by the goals of that short madman.
Ruggeri gave him his debut at 15 years, 1 month and 3 days with Independiente. He improved Maradona's precocious mark. Maybe it was that speed at which football moves that caused his departure from Atlético. From Argentina to Spain, from a losing Atletico to turning it into a winner, to bringing the chords of the Champions League back to the Vicente Calderon. Agüero's present became clouded just as he had just renewed his contract with the Colchonero club until 2014. They had beaten Rafa Benítez's Inter in the 2010 Super Cup in Monaco. Quique Sánchez Flores wanted him in his team. Forlán, De Gea, Reyes, Ujfalusi or Raúl García gave lustre to the red and white colours. But at the end of that season everything went wrong. Flores did not renew his contract and Agüero headed for England.
His departure was dramatic. Like almost all of Atlético's great strikers. The fans do not understand that they take their club as a launching pad and the player loses respect for the shield. Agüero announced he was leaving the club one fine day. A video where he put pressure on the directors announced his departure. It didn't matter the contract or the money. He wanted to leave. A dizzying offer hovered around the Argentinian. There was a lot of speculation about his future at Barça or Juventus, but it was City who put 9 million euros in his pocket for each of the six seasons. One of the foundations of the project that the whole of Europe was looking to.
Agüero also survived a string of coaches waiting for his new Simeone. Mancini, the interim Bryan Kidd, Manuel Pellegrini until the arrival of the Pep Guardiola method. The Catalan coach arrived in Manchester with a large team of workers in all areas of the club. They wanted to turn the club into a profitable business and began to diversify. Beguiristáin arrived as director of football, Manel Estiarte was a link between players and board, Ferrán Soriano as managing director... Now Juanma Lillo is Guardiola's second in command. City's edges are spread all over the world. They have youth teams in all the big leagues and in the emerging leagues. From New York to Girona where Pere Guardiola, Pep's brother, put his club at the service of the new "citizens" talents.
Agüero has not lifted the Champions League. He didn't need to. Guardiola always stated that the title was not one of his objectives. That the club wanted to consolidate its position in the Premier League. The Argentine has helped with four titles, an FA Cup, three Community Shields and five League Cups. The man Mancini once described as "the new Romario" has scored 257 goals to date in 384 appearances and history dictates that the recognition for 10 years of service should be a statue in the vicinity of the City of Manchester.
It all began on 13 May 2012 with a goal against QPR in stoppage time off a pass from Balotelli. City lifted the Premier League 44 years later. A whole generation enjoyed that goal and taking the league title from Manchester United.
Agüero leaves City and City lets Agüero go. Equal parts depreciated and loved. The last Mohican of those who have brought laurels back to this club that has lived in the shadow of United. Dzeko, Tévez, David Silva, Touré, Kompany or Jesús Navas left before. The team where Robinho once played and discovered he was no good at winning. Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo still has football. Europe is waiting for him, although he couldn't wait any longer for his friend Messi.