Manchester City ‘Legend’ Sergio Aguero has scoring record in his sights
Another game and another match ball for Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero as the Argentina striker helped himself to a hat trick on Saturday as his side went top of the Premier League by demolishing Watford 6-0 at Vicarage Road. Both Aguero and City are in great form. A week ago they beat Liverpool 5-0, put four past Feyenoord without reply in the Champions League and then hammered the Hornets in their own home.
Aguero has scored in each of those games. He got one against Liverpool and Feyernood before Saturday’s triple. Even better, he has also assisted strike partner Gabriel Jesus for two goals. A direct hand in seven of City’s 15 goals is the kind of return that means Aguero has a strong case for being the first name on the Pep Guardiola’s team sheet.
That’s a remarkable turnaround for a player that many expected to be sold in the summer. Aguero had been publicly questioned by his manager and subsequently lost his place as the spearhead of City’s attack to Jesus last season, but his response to the young Brazilian’s rise to prominence has been emphatic. If you can’t beat them, join them.
On current form, Guardiola has to pick both of his strikers and create a formation based on two, rather than one, up front. Aguero could have responded very differently to his boss’ demand to deliver more than just the goals he’s brought to City for the last six years, but he has chosen to fight for his place and won.
Winning is something he is used to. His six years at the club have been the club’s most successful and that’s no coincidence. He scored twice on his debut and hit 30 in that debut season, with the last of them the goal that won the league in the 95th minute of a dramatic final day to deliver the club’s first title in 44 years.
In his current form, there is nothing to say he can’t win a third Premier League crown in May. The red half of Manchester will hope to have something to say about that they won’t be able to stop Aguero racking up personal accolades.
His hat trick this weekend means he is just three goals from breaking Eric Brook’s 78-year Manchester City’s club goal scoring record of 177, and he’s on track to do it in almost 200 games fewer. Just a week ago he overtook Dwight Yorke as the Premier League’s top scoring non-European, and with 127 league goals, he’s 12th top scorer in Premier League history.
He will surely be higher than that by the time he is done. Aguero only turned 29 in the summer and he’s scored at least 20 goals in every Premier League season so far. It’s not inconceivable that he becomes only the third player ever, after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney, to score 200 Premier League goals. Never mind being a club “legend” as Guardiola referred to him on Saturday night, Aguero should go down as one of the best to ever play in England.