13th July 2021
184 Goals
This season, the Premier League bid farewell to one of the greatest to ever play in the league, an Argentinian striker whose prolific record saw him claim several league records as well as propel Manchester City to superclub status. Since the news broke that Agüero would be leaving Manchester, much of the media attention has been on one particular goal he scored back in 2012. A goal that made Martin Tyler say “AgüerooOoOo!”. A goal that snatched the title at the very last moment from local rivals Manchester United. A goal that started an era of dominance for Manchester City in the Premier League. That goal is undoubtedly Agüero’s career defining moment; however, we mustn’t forget that he scored another 183 goals during his time in the Premier League. In honour of Agüero’s impact, I want to offer an appraisal of his entire goalscoring record. As Pep Guardiola himself once said “Agüero’s numbers speak for themselves”.
When were they scored?
Let’s start with an overview of Sergio’s entire goalscoring career. Agüero’s career began at Independiente in Argentina, before a move to Atlético saw him form a strike partnership first with Fernando Torres and later with Diego Forlán. His performances for Atlético earned him the prestigious Golden Boy award and a move to a newly rich Manchester City. He did alright at City...
You might notice his dip in goalscoring when he joined Atlético as he adjusted to the major European leagues. It’s also clear that Agüero really hit the ground running as soon as he arrived in England, and that he has only just tailed off. He scored over 20 Premier League goals for 5 seasons in a row. Although he won the Golden Boot in 2014/15, he was arguably at his most deadly in 2017/18 with a great goals per game ratio.
How were they scored?
We can see Agüero’s distinct preference for his right foot. At 5ft 8, it’s quite impressive that 10% of his goals, including his very last, came from headers. I’m not quite sure what’s meant by other. It could be his torso, or maybe an arm.
His record against other elite Premier League clubs is impressive. Fans will remember the time he went on a mad one in February 2019, scoring hat tricks against both Chelsea and Arsenal. Interestingly, the only club Agüero played in the Premier League but failed to score against is Bolton Wanderers. Perhaps this will offer a little consolation to fans of the now struggling side.
Amongst the Premier League greats
The below chart looks at Premier League players with over 150 league goals. There are two things to notice. One, these players are true icons of the modern game. Two, even compared to these giants, Agüero’s goals to game ratio stands out. Agüero’s 0.67 goals per game is beaten only by Kane and Henry, both averaging 0.68.
Sergio's contribution to City
No question about it, City would not be the superpower they are today without Agüero. His moment of brilliance against QPR gifted City their first title, whilst a decade of consistency earned City 4 more. Let’s take a closer look at his goalscoring in the context of City’s overall goal scoring output.
