The Undervalued Jewel

Almost in every period or decade in the world of football we always get to see one or few players who are really not given the praise, hype or recognition they deserve. Different reasons such as media bias, racism, amongst a host of others could lead to it. And some times, it's just that people fail to see the accomplishments. One of such players in this our time is Manchester City's Sergio Kun Aguero.

When the petite Argentine striker joined the growing City ranks in the summer of 2011 from Atletico Madrid, not a lot of people gave him the chance to make it big in the English Premier League. First and most importantly, a lot of people looked at his height and for some others it was the pace of the league he was coming from, compared to where he just arrived.

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Since arriving however the former Atletico star has taken the EPL by surprise. It is just quite unfortunate that he has not gotten the recognition like he deserves.

Aguero is one striker that you would love to have in your team and one any defender would dread to play against. He's quick (maybe not really anymore, age telling on him), precise and sharp. He hits his shot with knuckle power and having a very strong center of gravity is a plus for his shot power and precision. In fact, after he arrived, rather than just perfect his finishing skills, Aguero always watched video clips of goalkeepers and how they react or dive towards balls. That for one is extra from an outfield player.

In his nine seasons currently in the English top flight, the former Independiente striker has only failed to feature in the top 10 goalscorers' chart, that came in the 2012/2013 season while he won the Golden Boot in 2014/2015. In these years, he has averaged between 17-20 goals, showing a beautiful level of consistency.

Currently he is Manchester City's All-time highest goalscorer with his brace against Crystal Palace today taking his tally to 251 goals and has also surpassed former Arsenal Legend Thierry Henry as the highest scoring foreign player in the EPL. This season alone, he has netted 15 times in the league, almost moving close to his average 20 goal mark. This is what you can refer to as phenomenal.

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The only downside to his game which I believe has contributed to him not getting the deserved accolade is his persistent niggling injury. Kun as he is fondly called hardly goes a season without having to be out about two or three times with injury. His injuries have been his worst nightmare. He is rarely rated despite his consistency in delivering the goods, nonetheless, he has always come back stronger and we can only hope he gets the recognition he deserves.

City have, as a sign of appreciation and recognition of his immense contributions in his almost a decade career at the Blue side of Manchester, given him permission to leave on his own terms. He most likely may leave when his current contract expires in 2021, having expressed his interest to return to boyhood club, Independiente.

The Cityzens, their fans, history and the Oil rich family will never forget his last minute strike in just his second season in 2012 that ended their 'forever' wait for League title. He etched his name in the sands of time with that strike against Queens Park Rangers to pip neighbours, Manchester United to the title.

Eres apreciado, Kun