Manchester City's record goalscorer Sergio Agüero has extended his stay with the Premier League champions on Friday, signing a one-year contract extension that puts him on track to rack up a decade of apperances for the Sky Blues.
The 30-year-old Argentina international – who broke the club's all-time goalscoring record last season and whose tally currently stands at 204 – put pen to paper on a deal that will see him through to the end of the 2021 season, postponing his oft-stated desire to finish his career with Independiente back in his homeland.
"I am happy for this additional year," said Agüero in a club statement. My idea was being here for 10 years. I've been here for seven years, it's going to be 10 when the contract expires. This was the main reason I signed. I'm very happy because they have treated me very well since the first day I got here."
City manager Pep Guardiola – who has at times left the former Atlético Madrid striker out in the past two years with young Brazilian Gabriel Jesus getting the nod instead – said he had not needed to change the striker's mind about delaying his return to Argentina.
"I didn't convince him, he decided himself," said Guardiola at his Friday press conference. "So I say thanks for the trust he has shown in us, like Vincent Kompany and David Silva."
Guardiola, though, believes that Agüero – who earns a reported £220,000 (US$288,000) a week – staying 10 years at the same club will be a thing of the past.
"Before it was easier to find players to stay their whole career in the same club," said Guardiola. "They want to live new experiences, and it's not bad if they want to discover new languages and learn other cultures. "It happened with Sergio: Argentina, then Madrid and then here. He's an important player for the club, not just for the team."
Txiki Begiristain, Manchester City's director of football, said Agüero retained his status as one of the club's most pivotal players.
"He has been so important to this club since his arrival in 2011 and he remains at the forefront of what we are want to achieve in the coming years," said Begiristain.
"We are fortunate to have had one of the best strikers in the world at our club for so many years."
- AFP
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