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Sergio Agüero’s decade of glory at Manchester City began with a bang on August 15, 2011, when he jumped off the bench against Swansea City.
Signed by Roberto Mancini for £ 35 million just a couple of weeks earlier, Aguero was left out of the starting eleven for a visit from newly promoted Swans when City kicked off their season with a match Monday night at the Etihad.
But with the hosts holding a narrow 1-0 lead approaching the final half hour, the Argentine was launched for his debut in the 59th minute in an attempt to seal three points. It did not disappoint.
Less than 10 minutes after his entry, the former Atlético de Madrid hit man found space within the six-yard box to score a low cross from Micah Richards.
And after a David Silva goal put Mancini’s men up 3-0 in the 71st minute, Agüero gave City fans a glimpse of what they had grown used to over the next 10 years with an incredible shot from 25 yards in overtime.
Those were the first goals of Aguero’s record of 257 for City in all competitions, a tally he will look to add to before leaving the club at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old, whose departure from Etihad this summer was confirmed Monday night, is the only player from that match against Swansea still playing City, nearly 10 years later.
So what happened to the stars that lined up next to Aguero that night? Here, Sportsmail takes a closer look at the Mancini team’s careers since 2011.
VIDEO CREDIT: MANCHESTER CITY / YOUTUBE AND SKY SPORTS
JOE HART
Hart, one of only three players to play Swansea who still plays in the Premier League, became a hero for City after helping them win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups. .
However, the former England goalkeeper found himself in disgrace following the arrival of Pep Guardiola as coach in 2016, and was soon on loan to Torino and West Ham.
Hart left the Etihad permanently in 2018 and joined Burnley, but was never able to replicate the form that saw him consolidate as No. 1 for both his country and the champions.
He is now playing as a substitute for Hugo Lloris at Tottenham after joining José Mourinho’s men on a free transfer last summer.
MICAH RICHARDS
After rising to the City ranks and breaking onto the scene as a teenager in 2005, Richards enjoyed one of his best seasons at the club, winning his first title in 2011-12.
However, injury problems and increased competition meant that he barely played between 2012 and 2014, and he spent the 2014-15 campaign on loan at Fiorentina.
A permanent move to Aston Villa followed, but after a promising first season, injuries and problems with the club’s management meant he made just three more appearances over the next three seasons.
He announced his retirement from the game at the age of just 31 after his release from Villa in 2019 and has since become one of the UK’s leading experts, regularly appearing on Sky Sports and the BBC, as well as writing a column. for Sportsmail. .
VINCENT KOMPANY
A true City legend like Agüero, Kompany made his own emotional exit from the Etihad nearly two years ago, having spent 11 seasons in Manchester.
Although he battled injuries during his time at City, the Belgian defender became an inspiring captain, lifting 10 major trophies during a period of unprecedented success.
Kompany decided to return to his home country in 2019, becoming the player-manager of his childhood club Anderlecht.
A nightmarish first season saw him give up his managerial duties to focus on playing, but after hanging up his boots last summer, Kompany is now on the bench as a full-time boss as he seeks to carve out a successful coaching career.
JOLEON LESCOTT
Kompany’s defensive partner against Swansea, and for much of the next few seasons, was Lescott, one of the first big money signings of the City era in Abu Dhabi.
The former Everton and Wolves central defender left the club in 2014 after claiming his second Premier League title, returning to the Midlands to join West Brom.
Brief stints followed at Aston Villa, AEK Athens in Greece and Sunderland before retiring in 2017, although Spanish team Racing Murcia bizarrely announced that it had signed for them in November last year.
Lescott had been in talks to appear with Racing in a Copa del Rey match, but has yet to appear. He currently works as a City loan servicer, dealing with younger players who have been sent on temporary deals and as a television commentator.
GET CLICHY
Like Aguero, Clichy also joined City in the summer of 2011 and went on to make more than 200 appearances with the club over the next six seasons.
The French defender left for Turkey in 2017, joining Istanbul Basaksehir on a free transfer. He helped them win the title in 2019-20, but left shortly after when his contract came to an end.
After four months without a club, Clichy, who recently participated in the Europa League quarter-final draw, joined the Swiss team Servette on an 18-month contract last December. So far he has only made two appearances with them.
ADAM JOHNSON
Johnson’s second and final season at City would turn out to be the 2011-12 campaign, after which he joined local club Sunderland in a £ 10 million deal.
The former England winger immediately became a regular on the team and was named Premier League Player of the Month in January 2014.
However, Johnson’s career took a much darker turn a year later when he was arrested on suspicion of having sexual activity with an underage girl, a Black Cats fan with whom he had been communicating on social media.
In March 2016, he was sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He was released in April 2019 after serving half of his sentence.
GARETH BARRY
Barry played a pivotal role as City won the title in Aguero’s first season and remained a regular in midfield for the next two seasons before he was allowed to join Everton on loan.
After helping Roberto Martinez’s team finish fifth in 2013-14, the former England player made a permanent move to Goodison Park and spent three more seasons in Merseyside before departing for West Brom.
Barry couldn’t prevent the Baggies from being relegated in 2017-18, but he stayed a season in the Championship before being released, then re-signed after recovering from injury.
He helped Slaven Bilic’s team win promotion last season before hanging up his boots at the age of 39, and is now mixing expert work with some well-earned time off.
DAVID SILVA
Like Aguero and Kompany, Silva will be honored with a statue outside the Etihad after helping the club become the dominant force in the Premier League that they are now.
The Spaniard arrived at the Etihad a year before the Argentine, but had an equally important impact, transforming City’s style and winning 11 major trophies.
Silva lowered the curtain on a decade at the club last summer, returning to Spain to sign for Real Sociedad despite interest from across Europe.
Now 35, Silva continues to do business at the highest level and has impressed for the LaLiga team this season, helping them mount a challenge for a place in the Champions League.
NIGEL DE JONG
The tough man of City’s midfield under Mancini, De Jong became a fan favorite during his three years at the Etihad between 2009 and 2012.
The Dutchman left for AC Milan in 2012 and spent four years at the San Siro before a brief stint in America with the LA Galaxy and two seasons in Turkey with Galatasaray.
After making a name for himself in Hamburg before joining City, De Jong returned to Germany to join Mainz in 2018, but soon left to live a new life in the Middle East.
The 36-year-old, who often tweets about City games, spent a season with Qatar’s Al Ahli before joining rivals Al-Shahania in 2019, which is where he plays to this day.
HOW TOURE
The exodus of modern City legends began in 2018, when Toure, another player synonymous with the club’s rise, was fired after eight years.
Having helped City win six trophies during his time at Etihad, the former Barcelona star opted for warmer weather and agreed to return to his former club Olympiacos.
It turned out to be a nightmare move and Toure’s contract was mutually terminated in December 2018 after just five appearances amid problems with manager Pedro Martins.
In July 2019, the veteran midfielder joined Chinese team Qingdao Huanghai and went on to make 14 appearances before leaving the club in January last year.
He surprised by training with Leyton Orient from League Two to stay fit last summer, but did not sign a contract, instead deciding to start his coaching career by joining Ukraine’s Olimpik Donetsk as an assistant coach last month.
A DZEKO
Signed seven months before Agüero’s arrival, Dzeko always found himself a bit in the shadow of the Argentine during his five years as a City player.
The great striker played a decisive role, however, as Mancini’s men won the title in 2011-12, scoring in the final game of the season against QPR, and left the Etihad with four trophies under their belt.
Dzeko signed on loan from Roma in 2015 and was signed permanently a year later, making him one of Italy’s best strikers.
Now 35, he still plays regularly for the Serie A team and boasts an impressive record of 116 goals in 249 appearances.
SUBSTITUTES
JAMES MILNER
Milner replaced Silva with less than 10 minutes remaining against Swansea, his first of 26 Premier League appearances during City’s title-winning campaign.
The versatile midfielder would spend three more seasons at the Etihad, winning two more trophies, before joining Liverpool on a free transfer in 2015.
He helped the Reds end their long wait for the title last season and also has a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup trophy on his resume.
The 35-year-old is under contract until 2022 and still plays regularly for Jurgen Klopp, having made 29 appearances so far this season.
STEFAN SAVIC
Signed just weeks before Agüero, Savic never found his place at City and left just a year later after 21 appearances during his only season at the Etihad.
The Montenegro defender, who now has 56 appearances for his country, joined Fiorentina and impressed for three years in Italy, winning a £ 9 million transfer to Atlético Madrid in 2015.
He has been with the Spanish giants ever since, helping them reach the Champions League final in 2016 and win the Europa League in 2018.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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