Former Barcelona forward admits he never planned to join the team; was ready for bench role at former club | OneFootball

Former Barcelona and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has revealed that his first choice was to remain at the Premier League club, but circumstances forced him to look for alternatives, which ultimately led to his short-lived stint at Barça.

Aguero spent a decade at Manchester City, cementing his legacy as one of the club’s greatest-ever players. However, ahead of the 2021 summer transfer window, City informed him that they would not be renewing his contract.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News (h/t MARCA), the Argentine admitted that he would have preferred to stay.

“I had a contract until 2021, and Manchester City told me five or six months before that they weren’t going to renew it. So I started looking for a club, and that’s what happened,” he explained.

Wanted to stay

Despite his desire to remain in Manchester, Aguero understood the club’s decision.

“City was my home. I wanted maybe one more year, even if that meant being on the bench,” he confessed.

Sergio Aguero’s preference was to stay at Manchester City. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“But you have to understand that the club needed changes. It was their decision, and I think it was a good one because they needed a replacement. Maybe staying as a substitute wasn’t the best option for me either.”

Barcelona’s offer

Barcelona then emerged as a potential destination, and Aguero was quick to accept their approach.

“My agent called me and said that Barça was interested but couldn’t afford to match what City was paying me. I told him, ‘I don’t care.’”

Knowing that a similar salary wasn’t realistic at his age, he instructed his agent to sort out the financials quickly, which helped accelerate the deal.

A key motivation for Aguero’s move to Barcelona was the chance to reunite with his close friend Lionel Messi.

“When almost everything was agreed upon, I told Leo, and he was happy. But then everything happened the way it did,” he lamented, referring to Messi’s shocking departure from the club.

Unfortunately, Aguero’s time at Barcelona was cut short due to a heart condition that forced him into early retirement, preventing him from making the impact he had hoped for at the Catalan club.