Sergio Aguero spoke to El Pais on Thursday. Where he talked about Maradona’s death, Messi and FC Barcelona.
Aguero has had an eventful week. He scored a goal in a closed-door friendly against Cornella and is set to make his return back on the pitch this weekend. Today, Aguero spoke to El Pais about several things. Here’s what he had to say:
Maradona’s death:
“Bad, very bad. How could I live it? I had a Champions League game that day. When I found out, I thought it was a lie, like so many other times. But this time a lot of people were talking about it. I asked Benjamin’s mother {Maradona’s daughter}. She told me it was true.
“I was constantly thinking about my son {Benjamin}. I was very concerned about his reaction to the news. Diego and Benjamin got along very well. Diego loved my son and Benjamin loved Diego too. I asked my sister to pick him up from school and distract him. The next day he wrote to me: “Dad, I want to go see him.”.
“I did not like the idea of him going to Argentina. I was afraid that he would be left with a bad memory. Although, I let him go since he wanted to. He went with his mother.”
Himself:
“At City, I did things very well so that the fans and journalists value me as one of the best in the world. Although, I knew that there were better players. And there was no problem in admitting that. At City, I was at a high level and won many titles.”
Difference between him and Messi/Ronaldo:
“The difference is the talent.”
“Cristiano is more of a forward than Leo. When he is confident, he scores a lot.”
“Quite often, I think what I was missing. One day, I asked Leo. He told me that if I want to win the Balon D’or, Champions League was essential. He is right. It is also important to be very good with the national team.”
Guardiola:
“I never had problems with Guardiola. I never argued with him. We always clarified things. The last 3 years with him, were fantastic. He is a coach who always demands the maximum. If he has an idea, he pulls it off. He doesn’t consider if a player scored a hattrick in the previous game. The name means nothing to him. Unless it’s Messi. I always accepted when I had to play and when not. When Jesus came he started most of the games. I did not say anything.”
“I knew my time would come. I kept working hard. When Jesus got injured in a match against Bournemouth. There were no strikers and I had to play. In those three months, I scored 20 goals and gave Pep the confidence he needed.”
Signing for FC Barcelona:
“Which player does not want to be at Barca? A lot of footballers would like to wear this shirt, no matter how good or bad. I arrived with the expectation of playing with Leo and a good project. When Barca called, I thought: “I don’t care about the salary. I want to help the team as much as I can.”
“You can only consider yourself a starter when you do things well and help the team. I want to help the team every time I play.”
Messi’s departure:
“It was a moment of shock. He was not feeling well. When I found out, I could not believe it. That Saturday, I went to see him at his house. He was not in a good condition and I tried to distract him from what had happened. I talked to him about my Esports team.”
His Father:
“I asked my old man, why he always annoyed me. He always told me that I played badly. Even to this day.”
“My father was very strict. He did not want me to relax. When I grew up, I asked him “Why did you not let me go play football?”
“He did it, to ignite my love for the game. Every time he forbade me to play, the more I liked to play and the better I played in training.”
