Sergio Agüero

On 3 October, Agüero scored five goals against Newcastle in a 6–1 comeback win, joining Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov in scoring as many in a Premier League game. His five goals within 23 minutes of game time made it the fastest five-goal haul since the Premier League started in 1992. Four minutes after scoring his fifth goal in the 62nd minute, Agüero was substituted by manager Manuel Pellegrini, as he had been receiving treatment due to a leg injury at half time.

In May 2006, Agüero joined Spanish club Atlético Madrid for a fee reported to be around €20 million, breaking the club's previous transfer record. He caused controversy early in his Atlético career by using his hands to score the winning goal against Recreativo de Huelva on 14 October 2006, only his second goal for the club, with the first coming in a 4–1 away win against Athletic Bilbao on 17 September. He ended his first season in Madrid with seven goals in all competitions, eased into European football by manager Javier Aguirre, who opted to bring him in and out of the line-up as Atlético finished seventh, enough to qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

At age 18, Agüero made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly with Brazil, played at Emirates Stadium, England on 3 September 2006. A year later, he scored his first international goal in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bolivia, and went on to score three more times as the Albiceleste successfully qualified for the finals in South Africa.

Following the departure of strike partner Fernando Torres to Liverpool in the summer of 2007, Agüero secured his starting spot for the Rojiblancos and soon became arguably the team's most important player at the age of just 19. In the 2007–08 season, he finished third highest scorer in La Liga, behind Daniel Güiza and Luís Fabiano, with 19 goals, and was runner up in the Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano award. Agüero won many plaudits for his man of the match display against Barcelona in March 2008, scoring twice, assisting a goal and winning a penalty for Atlético in a 4–2 win. He also scored important goals against the likes of Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal to help Atlético finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over ten years.

As a member of the Argentine squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Agüero scored two goals in the space of five minutes in the semi-final 3–0 win over Brazil on 19 August 2008. Argentina went on to win its second consecutive gold medal at the Olympic tournament.

Agüero was once again a regular goalscorer for Atlético in the 2008–09 season, continuing to establish a lethal partnership with Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán, also a former Independiente player. On 16 September, he scored his first Champions League goals in a 3–0 away win at PSV, helping Atlético eventually reach the last 16 of the competition. In March 2009, the duo of Forlán and Agüero scored a brace each in a 4–3 win over league leaders Barcelona, the latter scoring the winning goal in the final minutes of the match. With the help of more vital goals in a formidable end of the season run-in from his team, Agüero finished in the top ten contenders for the Pichichi Trophy, which was won by his teammate Forlán. Atlético finished fourth in the league, qualifying for the following season's Champions League.

Despite not being as prolific in front of goal, Agüero had another good season in 2009–10, and was praised for his influential performances as Atlético enjoyed their most successful season in over a decade. On 3 November 2009, he scored twice against Chelsea during a 2–2 draw in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón. Atlético were knocked out of the competition, but went on to reach the final of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, where Agüero assisted both goals in a 2–1 extra time win against English club Fulham. He also helped Atlético reach the final of the Copa del Rey, although this time they were not victorious, losing to Sevilla in the Camp Nou on 19 May.

Agüero was married to Gianinna Maradona, the youngest daughter of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona. On 19 February 2009, Gianinna gave birth to their son, Benjamín, in Madrid. Diego Maradona was there for the birth of his first grandson, while Agüero, then 20, missed Atlético's training session earlier in the day. Atlético offered their congratulations in a statement on their official website. Agüero and Gianinna separated in 2012 after four years together.

On 27 August 2010, Atlético Madrid captured the UEFA Super Cup by beating favorites Internazionale 2–0. Agüero provided the assist for José Antonio Reyes' opening goal and then secured the win by scoring the second. On 4 January 2011, Atlético Madrid confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at the Vicente Calderón until 2014. The following day, he was named as the new vice-captain of Atlético, along with strike partner Diego Forlán.

Agüero was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, and made his FIFA World Cup debut in Argentina's second group match against South Korea on 12 June 2010, replacing Carlos Tevez in the 75th minute. Agüero's impact was immediate as Argentina scored in the next minute. He assisted on Gonzalo Higuaín's hat-trick goal late in the game. Argentina won the game 4–1. Argentina, however, subsequently lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.

Agüero's nickname "Kun", which features on his shirt, dates back to his childhood. It was first given to him by his grandparents, due to a resemblance to the character "Kum-Kum" from the anime Wanpaku Omukashi Kumu Kumu which was Agüero's favourite television programme as a child. He stated, "I have grown to appreciate it because it's unique. It's not every day an athlete is nicknamed after a cartoon character!" Agüero has a tattoo on the inside of his right arm inscribed in Tengwar—a form of writing invented by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings—that transliterates roughly to Kun Agüero in the Latin script. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of his son's name and date of birth. Agüero holds Spanish nationality, after being granted citizenship in 2010 whilst playing for Atlético Madrid.

On 23 May 2011, Agüero announced on his official website that he wanted to move from Atlético and formally asked to be released from his contract. Agüero later spoke to ESPN, where he stated that he would "not be returning to Atlético". On the same day that Agüero officially became a Manchester City player, Atlético hosted a 2011–12 Europa League qualifier against Strømsgodset IF, where a group of Atlético fans brandished "Agüero, We Hope You Die" banners in a reaction to the striker's transfer to City at the Vicente Calderón on 28 July 2011, after he had previously stated his desire to see out his contract with the club just weeks before requesting a transfer. Upon his departure, Atlético used the money from Agüero's sale to buy Radamel Falcao as his replacement.

On 28 July 2011, Manchester City confirmed that Agüero had signed a five-year contract with the club. The fee was reported to be in the region of £35 million. He was given the number 16 shirt for his first season at City and wears the shirt name Kun Agüero. He was an unused substitute in the Dublin Super Cup match against Internazionale and the 2011 FA Community Shield against Manchester United with manager Roberto Mancini believing Agüero was not yet fit. Agüero made his debut for City on 15 August 2011 in a 4–0 Premier League victory over Swansea City. Agüero came on as a substitute in the 59th minute, scoring his first goal for the club within nine minutes after a tap-in from a cross from full back Micah Richards. He then turned provider with an assist after chipping over the oncoming goalkeeper before flicking the ball back into the penalty box and into the path of David Silva to score. Agüero rounded off his debut by scoring again in injury time with a 30-yard strike. His 30-minute debut gained rave reviews among football journalists, with some suggesting it was one of the best in English football.

Agüero made his League Cup debut in the quarter final match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, scoring the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute from an Adam Johnson through-ball. His next goal came in a 5–1 home win against Norwich City, opening the scoring in the 32nd minute, giving him his 13th goal of the season and maintaining the team's 100% league record at home. On 21 December, he scored a brace as City beat Stoke City 3–0 at home. On 3 January 2012, he opened the scoring in a 3–0 win at home to Liverpool, beating Pepe Reina with a low shot. Agüero scored his 15th goal on 4 February, scoring a penalty against Fulham in a 3–0 win at a snow-covered City of Manchester Stadium.

Agüero started the 2012–13 season in the 2012 FA Community Shield against Chelsea at Villa Park as Manchester City won 3–2. In Manchester City's first league match, Agüero had to be stretchered off in the 13th minute of their home game against Southampton due to a knee injury. Agüero was an unused substitute in City's 3–2 defeat to Real Madrid on 18 September 2012. Following the match, Agüero said he would have joined Real Madrid had they made an offer for him in 2011 but was left with "no option but to join City". Agüero made his return in a 1–1 home draw against Arsenal in the Premier League and went on to score his first goal of the season against Fulham on 29 September in a 2–1 away win in the Premier League. He followed this up with another goal the following weekend against Sunderland in a 3–0 home win. His next league goal came in a 2–1 win at home against Tottenham on 11 November. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Aston Villa in a 5–0 win at home. Agüero also scored in back-to-back games in the Champions League in successive draws at home to Ajax and Real Madrid. He scored his next goal on 15 December, where he scored the opening goal, as Manchester City won 3–1 away against Newcastle. Agüero then scored against Norwich City on 29 December in a 4–3 away win. In his next match on 2 January, after scoring a penalty in the 73rd minute, Agüero damaged his hamstring during a 3–0 victory over Stoke.

On 8 April, Agüero scored a solo goal to give City the win in the Manchester derby in the 78th minute, seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Samir Nasri. Agüero then scored a header to help Manchester City defeat Chelsea on 14 April in the FA Cup semi-final and reach the final. In the 82nd-minute of the tie, Agüero made a two-footed tackle on David Luiz after the defender had previously appeared to tackle him. Despite the incident warranting a red card at the time, the FA announced Agüero would not be punished following confirmation that referee Chris Foy had at least seen part of the incident and acted on it during the match. Many people disagreed with this decision and felt that the FA had failed to act. On 17 April, Agüero revealed that he had apologised to David Luiz for his rash challenge on the defender. Agüero withdrew as a precaution at half-time on 17 April in Manchester City's 1–0 home victory over Wigan after feeling tightness in a hamstring, but he appeared as an unused substitute in City's 3–1 away loss at White Hart Lane against Tottenham on 21 April. He scored his next goal on 27 April, where he scored the opening goal, as Manchester City won 2–1 home against West Ham United. On 11 May, Agüero started for Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup Final, where the team lost 1–0 to Wigan. Agüero scored his final goal of the season in a 2–0 away win against Reading on 14 May.

The Times reported that he was the main transfer target of Spanish giants Real Madrid, but Agüero responded by saying, "I'm very happy at City and I feel appreciated and loved here which means a lot to me." Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano also negated the idea of a transfer, insisting Agüero would stay at the City of Manchester Stadium. However, former Argentina international Diego Maradona backed him to join Real Madrid, believing Agüero's presence in the Madrid team could help get even more out of Cristiano Ronaldo. On 25 May 2013, Agüero signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Manchester City until 2017. Agüero stated his commitment to Manchester City on 28 May 2013, saying, "I'm committed to Manchester City, it's a great club."

Following a knee injury that ruled him out of all of the club's pre-season games, Agüero scored in City's 4–0 victory over Newcastle United in the opening game of the 2013–14 Premier League season. On 22 September 2013, he scored a brace in a 4–1 home win against Manchester United.

On 8 November 2013, after scoring five goals in four matches between 5 October and 2 November, Agüero was awarded the Premier League Player of the Month for the first time. During the same period, he had also scored both goals for City in a 2–1 away win against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

On 14 December 2013, Agüero was substituted in a 6–3 win against Arsenal due to a calf injury and missed eight matches. On 16 January 2014, he returned from injury in an FA Cup third-round replay against Blackburn Rovers, scoring after coming on as a substitute in the 5–0 win. In the next round of the competition, he scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 4–2 victory over Watford. On 29 January, he scored his 50th Premier League goal in a 5–1 victory at Tottenham but was substituted with a hamstring injury.

On 2 March 2014, Agüero returned to the Manchester City team for the 2014 Football League Cup Final, where the team beat Sunderland 3–1 at Wembley Stadium. In his third appearance since returning from the hamstring problem, Agüero suffered a recurrence of the injury and was withdrawn at half-time in a 2–1 Champions League loss at Camp Nou against Barcelona. He missed the team's next five Premier League matches, before returning to the starting line-up in a 3–2 loss against Liverpool at Anfield on 13 April.

On 21 April 2014, Agüero scored his first goal since January in a 3–1 defeat of West Bromwich Albion at the City of Manchester Stadium. After scoring his final goal of the season in a 3–2 win over Everton at Goodison Park on 3 May, Agüero started for Manchester City against West Ham as the team secured its second Premier League title in three seasons with a 2–0 win.

On 14 August 2014, Agüero signed a new five-year contract to keep him at Manchester City until 2019.

On 18 October 2014, he scored all four of City's goals in a 4–1 home win over Tottenham, two of which were penalties; he took another penalty in the match, but it was saved by Hugo Lloris. This took Agüero to 61 Premier League goals for the club, surpassing Carlos Tevez as the club's record scorer in the competition. He was the first player in the season to reach ten Premier League goals, doing so with the only goal in the Manchester derby on 2 November.

Agüero shares a close friendship with Lionel Messi, his regular roommate during outings for the national team since 2005. He described Messi as being "like a brother" in his 2014 autobiography, Born to Rise, which contains a foreword written by Messi.

Agüero sustained a knee injury in the second minute of Manchester City's 1–0 win over Everton on 6 December and was unable to appear again for the remainder of 2014. He returned to City's matchday squad for the return fixture with Everton at Goodison Park on 10 January 2015 and appeared as a 67th-minute substitute in the 1–1 draw. On 11 February, Agüero scored his first two goals of 2015 in a 4–1 win at Stoke City. On 21 February 72 seconds into a match against Newcastle United, Agüero scored the fastest penalty kick in the Premier League since 1994.

On 7 August 2015, Agüero announced he would be switching from his number 16 shirt to the number 10 shirt, previously worn by teammate Edin Džeko. Nine days later, he opened the scoring in a 3–0 home victory over reigning champions Chelsea.

On 16 April 2016, Agüero scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win at Chelsea, ending with a penalty kick. He became the third visiting player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, and the fifth player to have three 20-goal seasons in the division. Three days later, he scored his 100th Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw at Newcastle. He reached the century in 147 games, second only to Alan Shearer who did so in 124. The goal was also Agüero's sixth against Newcastle for the season, making his just the sixth player in the Premier League era to have scored six goals against the same club in a single campaign.

On 13 August 2016, Agüero scored Manchester City's first competitive goal under the management of Pep Guardiola in a 2–1 victory against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2016–17 Premier League season.

On 5 November 2016, Agüero scored his 150th goal for Manchester City in a 1–1 draw against Middlesbrough in the league. Agüero was sent off in a 1–3 loss to Chelsea on 3 December for a tackle on David Luiz and was given a four-match suspension.

Agüero was included in Gerardo Martino's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario and scored his first goal of the tournament in Argentina's second group match, a 5–0 win over Panama on 10 June 2016, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. Agüero considered retiring from international football shortly after losing against Chile in a penalty shootout in the final of the tournament for a second consecutive time.

On 14 November 2017, Agüero was taken to hospital after fainting in the dressing room at half-time in a 4–2 loss to Nigeria in a friendly match in Krasnodar, Russia.

On 8 October, in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador, Agüero sustained a hamstring injury early on and was carried off the pitch in tears. Agüero himself said he expected to be out for around four weeks (in which the derby against Manchester United was to be played), although several media outlets later claimed the injury would last for eight weeks. He returned on 21 November, scoring in a 1–4 home loss to Liverpool; this was his 85th Premier League goal, making him the top-scoring South American of all time in the division, ahead of his compatriot and former strike partner Carlos Tevez.

On 10 February, Agüero scored four goals in a 5–1 Premier League home thrashing of Leicester City, claiming his third hat-trick of the season. He opened the scoring in the 2018 EFL Cup Final on 25 February, by chipping Arsenal's David Ospina in a 1vs1 situation, ultimately helping City secure a convincing 3–0 victory at Wembley Stadium.

In City's first game of the season, Agüero scored both goals in the 2–0 2018 FA Community Shield victory over Chelsea, the first goal being his 200th for the club. On 19 August 2018, Agüero scored his 9th Premier League hat-trick in a 6–1 home victory against Huddersfield Town, putting him behind only Alan Shearer's 11. He also leapfrogged Robin van Persie to enter the league's top ten scorers of all time, and second place in foreign Premier League scorers only to Thierry Henry's 175. Agüero hit the post twice in a 1–1 away draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 21 September, Manchester City confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until 2021. On 22 September, in his 300th appearance for Manchester City, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 5–0 away win over Cardiff City.

In May 2018, Agüero was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia; later that month, he was included in Jorge Sampaoli's final 23-man squad for the competition. In his team's first group match of the tournament against Iceland on 16 June, he scored the opening goal of an eventual 1–1 draw; this was his first ever World Cup goal. In the round of 16 match against France on 30 June, Agüero scored Argentina's final goal in a 4–3 defeat, which saw his side eliminated from the World Cup.

On 4 November, Agüero scored his 150th Premier League goal in a 6–1 home win over Southampton, which was his 217th Premier League appearance; he became only the ninth player in history to achieve this landmark, and only the third player after Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney to manage this tally with a single side. He was also the second-fastest player to reach this milestone, after Alan Shearer, who took five fewer appearances. On 11 November, Agüero scored the second goal in a 3–1 win against Manchester United, making him the joint highest scorer in Manchester derbies in the Premier League era, level with Wayne Rooney). On 29 January 2019, Agüero scored within 24 seconds in an eventual 2–1 defeat at Newcastle United. On 3 February, Agüero scored a hat-trick against rivals Arsenal, including one goal within 48 seconds, bringing his Premier League tally of hat-tricks to ten, in a 3–1 win at the Etihad Stadium. On 10 February, Agüero scored his 11th hat-trick in the Premier League, as Manchester City defeated rivals Chelsea 6–0 at home; with this feat, he equalled Alan Shearer's record of 11 in the competition. The hat trick also saw Agüero overtake Tommy Johnson's and Eric Brook's record of 158 league goals for the club, and set a new record of 160 goals. The following month, he scored twice in a 7–0 (10–2 aggregate) Champions League win over Schalke and in doing so helped the club equal the record for the largest winning margin in the knockout-phase of the competition.

On 10 August 2019, Agüero came on as a substitute replacing Gabriel Jesus, in a match that was dominated by the newly introduced VAR, at the London Stadium against West Ham United. With City 3–0 up, they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Riyad Mahrez. Agüero took the penalty and it was saved by opposing keeper Łukasz Fabiański. However, VAR stepped in and re-awarded the penalty for an infringement by Declan Rice. Agüero scored the re-awarded penalty in an eventual 5–0 away day opening win for the Citizens to start their Premier League title defence. On 12 January 2020, Agüero scored 12th hattrick of his Premier League career against Aston Villa in 6–1 away victory at Villa Park, taking his individual tally past Thierry Henry's 175 goal mark.

On 21 May 2019, he was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América. In Argentina's final group match against Qatar on 23 June, Agüero scored the second goal in a 2–0 win, which enabled his team to advance to the knock-out stages. On 28 June, in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Agüero assisted Lautaro Martínez's opening goal, and was also involved in the second goal, scored by Giovani Lo Celso, as Argentina defeated Venezuela 2–0 to advance to the semi-finals. In the third-place match against Chile on 6 July, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 win, to help Argentina capture the bronze medal.

After several weeks on the sidelines due to a meniscus injury, Agüero returned to action on 17 October 2020 in a 1–0 victory against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. On 21 October 2020, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Porto in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.

During the three month football break due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Agüero started live-streaming himself playing various videogames on Twitch. He became the fastest-growing streamer in the month of May, reaching 1 million followers. He has been especially popular among the Hispanic community, collaborating with many big names such as El Rubius and even calling Messi once live on air.