Argentina icon Sergio Aguero’s has held a tearful press conference confirming that he has retired from football after he was hospitalized while complaining of chest pain and dizziness during a Liga game against Alaves in October.
The former Manchester City and Atletico Madrid star, who signed for Barcelona on free transfer this past May, was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia following a battery of medical tests.
Barca announced soon afterwards that he would be absent from team affairs for a period of three months while his cardiac health was evaluated.
After rumors that Aguero would be forced to call time on his career, the 33-year-old spoke live on Barcelona’s channels from their Camp Nou home about what he described as a “very difficult moment”.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I have decided to stop playing football."<br><br> — <a href="https://twitter.com/aguerosergiokun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aguerosergiokun</a> <a href="https://t.co/kVpislPA9K">pic.twitter.com/kVpislPA9K</a></p>— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1471079181517787141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
“I’ve decided to stop playing football,” the 101-cap international said, fighting through his emotions.
“I have taken it for my health; that’s the main reason I have taken this decision, because of the problem that I had.”
Aguero will be best remembered for his decade-long spell with Manchester City, playing a key role in the power transfer from the red half of the city – arch-rivals Manchester United – to the blue of City.
He scored an impressive 260 goals in 390 appearances for City, but none will be better remembered than his late winner against QPR which stole the Premier League title away from Manchester United in 2012.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🗣️ "Manchester City are still alive here..<br><br>Balotelli... <br><br>AGUEROOOOOOOOO!! <br><br>I swear you will never see anything like this again.<br><br>So watch it, drink it in." <br><br>9 years ago today, Sergio Aguero scored THAT goal against QPR 🔥<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/qmDY7MNw84">pic.twitter.com/qmDY7MNw84</a></p>— SPORTbible (@sportbible) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportbible/status/1392767853909221379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
“In my career so far it’s the most important goal. You score the goal in the last minute to win the title,” Aguero said at the time.
It would be the first of five Premier League trophies he would claim in a silverware-laded spell with the club.
His international career also ended on a high, as he helped Argentina to the Copa America in 2021 to add the World Cup runners-up medal he achieved in 2014.
Since joining Barcelona, however, Aguero’s time in football has been far less joyful.
He was expected to play with longtime friend Lionel Messi, but the Barcelona captain made a shock departure to PSG not long after Aguero had arrived at Camp Nou.
Aguero endured an injury-hit start to life at the club, managing one goal in five appearances before the sad conclusion to his career after the events in the match with Alaves.
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https://ift.tt/2hpq7SJ 15, 2021 at 04:59PM
from RT – Daily news