Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero has set the record for most English Premier League goals by a foreign player.
Aguero moved to 177 career EPL goals after scoring a hat trick on Sunday for Man City in a 6-1 win at Aston Villa in his 255th league appearance.
His second goal Sunday took the 31-year-old Argentine past the previous record of 175 in 258 games by former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry. Agüero went on to score a record 12th career hat trick in the Premier League – by any player – breaking a tie with Alan Shearer.
Agüero's first goal of the day, and City's third, was a curling shot from outside the penalty area to move level with Henry. Agüero took the outright record with a charging run through the Villa defence and shot in the 57th. The third goal was the simplest after a Villa defensive error left Riyad Mahrez to play Agüero into free space in the centre for a calm finish.
Agüero's record is even more impressive given that he only moved to England at age 23 from Atlético Madrid.
The former Independiente striker is now tied for fourth in the all-time standings for all players with Frank Lampard. The record is held by Shearer with 260 for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
'Die scoring goals'
Agüero will "die scoring goals", according to his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
"It's an honour to be here the day he achieved that, hopefully he can score more. He will die scoring goals," purred Guardiola.
"Sergio is one of the best, no doubt. The best is Messi, but the rest? Sergio is absolutely one of them.
"All the players in the locker room congratulated him. To break this record of an incredible legend like Thierry Henry, it means it's not just for a short period, it's many years. To be the foreign player with the most goals and hat-tricks speaks for itself.
"There are players through the incredible history of English football and he is one of them, he helps to make the Premier League and English football better."
– TIMES/AFP/AP
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