Aguero was like a 'lion in the jungle' in the Premier League - Guardiola

Aguero has won 12 major trophies with City -- including the club's first Premier League title in 2011-12 when he scored an injury-time winner on the final day of the season.

Published : May 21, 2021 19:35 IST

The 32-year-old, City's all-time leading scorer with 258 goals, will leave the club as a free agent after the May 29 Champions League final against Chelsea and Guardiola described him as a "legend".
The 32-year-old, City's all-time leading scorer with 258 goals, will leave the club as a free agent after the May 29 Champions League final against Chelsea and Guardiola described him as a "legend".
lightbox-info

The 32-year-old, City's all-time leading scorer with 258 goals, will leave the club as a free agent after the May 29 Champions League final against Chelsea and Guardiola described him as a "legend".

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero was a striker like no other in the Premier League and the Argentine will leave the club with the gratitude of fans after a trophy-filled decade with the champions, Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

Aguero has won 12 major trophies with City -- including the club's first Premier League title in 2011-12 when he scored an injury-time winner on the final day of the season.

The 32-year-old, City's all-time leading scorer with 258 goals, will leave the club as a free agent after the May 29 Champions League final against Chelsea and Guardiola described him as a "legend".

READ| Jurgen Klopp counting on experience of final day stress to seal top-four spot

"When he's fit and he has continuity in training and games, he's like Romario. In five metres he can be like a lion in the jungle making steps to kill opponents, his biggest quality is his unique sense of goal," Guardiola told reporters.

"In this country it's so difficult to score goals for many years. I can't imagine how many more goals he would have scored if he was fitter. He was incredibly loved from the backroom staff, he's a very nice person.

"And the quality of the player? I can't add anything to the numbers, his performances when he was fit was incredible. Tomorrow, 10,000 fans want to give him gratitude for what he has done for the club."

READ|A rsenal must be in Europe, says Mikel Arteta with Conference League on the line

However, Guardiola was unsure if Aguero will start City's final league game against Everton on Sunday as the club waits for the results of a late fitness test.

"Tomorrow we'll decide," Guardiola added. "As much he can play he will play. He's been disrupted, he had a partial training session."

City defender Ruben Dias was named England's Footballer of the Year on Thursday and Guardiola praised the 24-year-old's mentality and said he was captaincy material.

READ| Villa will go 'hell for leather' to beat Chelsea, says Smith

"The defender, when he thinks about just himself is a problem, he's always thinking about the partnership with the central defenders, holding midfielder and wingers," Guardiola said.

"He's professional, always thinking about football, he's so young. I'm sure in a short time... he will be chosen as one of the captains because he's shown he can lead."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment