'I believed it was a joke': Aguero opens up about Messi's Barcelona departure | Soccer Information

'I believed it was a joke': Aguero opens up about Messi's Barcelona departure | Soccer Information [ad_1]

When Sergio Aguero left Manchester Metropolis as a membership legend and headed for FC Barcelona, a big a part of the Spanish membership's attract would have been the chance for Aguero to affix his good buddy and long-time Argentina teammate Lionel Messi on the Camp Nou. Nevertheless, it wasn't meant to be, as Barcelona didn't agree a renewed take care of a participant broadly considered the best of all time, seeing him head off to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in 2021.

Aguero and Messi have represented Argentina collectively ever since they have been within the youth groups, and each established themselves as true legends of the sport. They got here near profitable the World Cup collectively in 2014, and when Metropolis determined it was time to maneuver on from the perfect participant within the historical past, it might have been a bittersweet second for Aguero, with the idea that he might transfer to Barcelona and assist his closest ally additional safe his legacy. Nevertheless, mere weeks after Aguero joined the Catalans, it was revealed that Messi could be leaving the membership — a choice that induced shockwaves round world soccer, and one thing that no person anticipated to see, with Messi having been at Barcelona since he was a toddler.

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Talking to Barca Common, Aguero stated, "How did I discover out about Messi’s departure from Barça? I used to be with Ibai, ingesting mate, and immediately… he seems on the telephone and says to me: ‘No, is that this true?’ and exhibits me the telephone with the Barça official announcement." It was definitely a bombshell, shaking soccer up massively, however as a result of Barcelona's struggling funds and the unbelievable wages Messi demanded, a renewal could not be lined up for the 7-time Balon d'Or winner.

“When Barcelona introduced Messi’s departure I believed somebody had hacked Barça’s social networks. I believed it was a joke," continued Aguero. The love story between Messi and Barca is nicely documented, the pair having spent 17 years collectively, going over probably the most necessary and historic spells within the membership's historical past, during which they gained the Champions League 4 occasions, and dominated La Liga regardless of the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and a rich Actual Madrid throughout the nation.

Messi and Barca have been synonymous with each other, and for somebody as near Messi as Aguero, who dreamt of sharing the pitch with Messi at membership degree, it definitely would have been an extremely disappointing second to be taught that they have been to be separated.

The 2021/22 season was a battle for Messi, who scored fewer than 10 objectives within the league for the primary time since he was a teen, that too in a comparatively weaker league within the form of Ligue 1 in France. Barcelona obtained off to a torrid begin, knocked out within the group levels of the CL, and though membership legend Xavi was introduced in as supervisor and ensured they completed sturdy, they needed to watch on as rivals Actual lifted the La Liga and CL double. Aguero was compelled into untimely retirement as a result of cardiac arrhythmia.

Argentina did elevate the Copa America for the primary time in Messi and Aguero's careers in 2021, solely a second crowning second they shared with one another, having gained the 2008 Olympic gold for the Albiceleste.

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