Sergio Aguero scored goals for fun during his 390-game spell with Manchester City. Grabbing the attention of some of the continent’s greatest teams from his free scoring stint at Atletico Madrid, the diminutive Argentine forged a career that many have struggled to emulate in the Premier League.
He's played against plenty of top players across his career and has borne witness to the likes of Eden Hazard, Carles Puyol and Marcelo – but none of the aforementioned triumvirate were mentioned when he named the greatest XI in football history.
On Manchester City’s YouTube channel, Aguero opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation when picking his personal best XI. Spoiler alert: Cristiano Ronaldo – who has plied his trade for the likes of Manchester United – was not included by the Independiente academy graduate.
Sergio Aguero Named His All-Time Greatest Football 11
Position
GK
CB
CB
CB
LM
CM
CM
RM
LW
ST
RW
Goalkeeper and Defence
Oliver Kahn, Roberto Ayala, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Hierro
On why he picked Oliver Kahn over the likes of Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas, Aguero said: “My goalkeeper would be Oliver Kahn because I’ve always liked him. He’s made history with Bayern Munich and that’s why I picked him.”
Kahn, born and raised in Karlsuhe before heading to Munich in 1994, is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history and his frightening presence in between the sticks struck fear into strikers across Europe.
Opting for three at the back, rather than the traditional four-man bank, Fernando Hierro’s aerial threat was not played down by Aguero – neither was Roberto Ayala’s. He said, “Hierro is a legend and he’s good in the air, just like Roberto Ayala.”
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Real Madrid and Spain legend Sergio Ramos then completed Aguero’s sturdy three-at-the-back defensive line. Widely admired as one of the greatest tacklers of the 21st century, there were very few forwards that got the better of the tenacious 38-year-old.
“Then Sergio Ramos is a player I like a lot. It’s a courageous back line. They would just need to focus on winning the ball back and passing it to the midfielders.”
Midfield
Roberto Carlos, Xavi Hernandez, Fernando Redondo, Andres Iniesta
Aguero opted for a four-man midfield, starting with Roberto Carlos – a roaring full-back by trade – on the left. Albeit an unorthodox choice, the former Atletico Madrid man cited his ability to whip balls into the box for his selection.
“It’s a line of four in midfield. All but one are genuine midfielders. The exception is Roberto Carlos who I would play on the left wing to cross the ball.”
Xavi Hernandez, who turned to management post-retirement, was his first pick in the engine room. He mastered the art of passing and made things, which many footballers struggled to perfect, look simple.
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And when Xavi is about, you can bet your bottom dollar that Andres Iniesta isn’t too far away. The pair were at the fulcrum of Barcelona’s glory days and forged a partnership for the ages, one capable of dictating the tempo of play on the biggest stages of all.
“The other three midfielders are Xavi, Redondo and Iniesta, they would keep the ball. I don’t know how they are going to track back, though.”
Aguero also, perhaps surprisingly, picked Fernando Redondo. A lesser-known talent thanks to the star-studded nature of his former employers, Real Madrid and AC Milan, the former La Albiceleste midfielder was one of Europe’s classiest operators in the middle of the park.
Attack
Diego Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario, Lionel Messi
Devastating with the ball at his feet, Lionel Messi’s talent is perfectly encapsulated by the fact that he seldom gets out of first gear. Equally effortless as he was elegant, Augero’s fellow countryman has plundered goals aplenty across his career.
Irrespective of his employers, bewildering defenders was, and remains, Messi’s forte. Pairing him with his compatriot Diego Maradona was Aguero’s choice as he built one of the most ruinous front lines in the history of the beautiful game.
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“Then up front, Messi and Diego Maradona and as centre forward Ronaldo, the Brazilian.”
Joining the two Argentines is none other than Ronaldo Nazario, a striker who played for some of the biggest clubs in European football. Recognised as one of the greatest footballers to earn their corn for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, Ronaldo – monikered ‘R9’ – had everything.
The ability to score, create and be a persistent runner for his respective sides, the two-time Ballon d’Or winning Brazilian may have been plagued by injury, but he makes a compelling case for being one of the best players to ever grace the turf.