Sergio Agüero life and biography

Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988) is an Argentine footballer, who currently plays as a striker for Atlético Madrid.

Mainly a striker or centre-forward, he is usually partnered with another striker up front. Agüero earned his nickname Kun when his grandparents noted that his resemblance was that of Japanese anime character Kun Kun.

A regular member of the Argentine national team, his father-in-law is the current manager, former international superstar Diego Maradona.

When you are the son-in-law of the manager, there is a decent chance you will get a chance in the team so long as your talent is up to scratch and Diego Maradona looks certain to make use of Aguero's considerable talents in South Africa this summer.

At the age of nine he joined Independiente, the team he always supported, after showing great promise in several small-town teams such as Loma Alegre and Los Primos. A few years later, but much earlier than expected, he would fullfil another dream: making his debut in the top division. He was 15 years, one month and three days old when Oscar Ruggeri, by then Independiente's coach, sent him in as a replacement for Emanuel Rivas with 21 minutes to be played in a game against San Lorenzo.

Thus, Aguero broke Diego Maradona's record and became the youngest footballer to play an official game in the Argentine top division. Even though seven months would go by before he would start a game with the team, Aguero had already showed great promise and appeared to be the new icon of Argentine football.

By 2005, the offers from Europe started arriving and he was transferred to Atletico Madrid. Aguero has proved his class with four seasons worth of fine displays at Atletico since his arrival in Spain. His partnership with Uruguay's Diego Forlan has been dynamite for the capital city club, with his pace, power and finishing ability making him a real handful for any defender.

Agüero made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly with Brazil, played at Emirates Stadium, England on 3 September 2006. As a teenager, he represented Argentina at three FIFA World Youth Championships. Together with future 2008 Olympics squad teammates Fernando Gago of Real Madrid and Lionel Messi of Barcelona, they won the 2005 edition in the Netherlands.

At the 2007 U-20 World Cup in Canada, he scored twice and helped set up three goals in a 6–0 win over Panama in the second game of the group stage of the tournament. Agüero then scored the only goal in Argentina's third match against North Korea from a free kick. Having qualified to the round of 16, he scored two of the three goals against Poland that would eventually give them the win (3–1) to advance. Argentina defeated Mexico in the quarter-finals and Chile in the semi-finals, and faced the Czech Republic in the finals. Agüero captained and scored the equaliser in the 62nd minute, leading to a 2–1 victory. In addition, Agüero won the Golden Boot for the tournament, scoring six goals, and the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

As a member of the Argentine squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Agüero scored two goals in the space of five minutes in the semi-final 3–0 win over Brazil on 19 August 2008. He was chosen for the 2010 World Cup squad, and was a substitute in Argentina's first match against Nigeria. He was not used in the match, but it ended 1-0 for Argentina.

Strengths: His ball control and powerful bursts make him almost unstoppable in the box.
Weaknesses: He sometimes lacks focus and can be selfish with the ball.

Career high: On March 1, 2008, against Barcelona, he scored twice and was man of the match after by far his best performance with Atletico.
Career low: Except on isolated occasions, he has not yet been able to shine with the national team.

Style: He is often compared to Brazil's Romario.

Quotes: "I would tell him to go to Inter, head on," said Maradona about Aguero, currently his son-in-law.

Trivia: A cumbia band called Los Leales recorded a song with Sergio Aguero as the lead singer. The song was written in his honour and is called "El Kun Aguero".

Soccernet says: Aguero is a young player with a long career ahead of him. He is talented, but has a lot to improve in his game. He will provide a good alternative in the Argentine attack for the World Cup.

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