Sergio Aguero reveals he didn’t want to leave Man City and was shocked when Lionel Messi exited Barcelona… as he opens up on being forced to retire with a heart problem

Sergio Aguero has reflected on his short spell at Barcelona and the fact he had to retire due to a heart problem.

Aguero was a hugely productive striker during his heyday and is best known for his ten-year spell at Man City.

The Argentine, who has scored 41 times in 101 caps for his country, remains City’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals.

But after falling down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, the club announced in March 2021 that he would leave that summer upon the expiry of his contract.

And Aguero revealed he was keen to stay at the club he had grown to love, but the chance to move to Barcelona soon turned his head.

Aguero revealed he did not want to leave Man City when he was told he would be released

The blow was softened when Aguero thought he would join Lionel Messi at Barcelona

“In January 2021, City told me they would not renew my contract,” he told Juan Pablo Varsky. Sound. ‘They confirmed it to me in February.

‘I wanted another year, I was prepared to sit on the bench. I didn’t play much with Pep, but I wanted to help.

‘I had the feeling that in a year it would be physically useful for me to play in the World Cup.

‘(But then) a call came from Barcelona, ​​but they couldn’t pay me for what City was worth. I didn’t care, I told my manager to put the numbers in and it was resolved in two days.

“When I closed it, I spoke to Leo (Messi), I imagined I was playing with him and what happened happened….”

However, a reunion with his compatriot never took place as Barcelona could not afford a new contract for Messi, who eventually joined PSG, due to financial constraints.

And Aguero admitted this was difficult to accept and he couldn’t quite believe Messi would leave the club where he became an icon.

He added: ‘Leo assured me that it would be resolved (his extension at Barcelona), that he would start training.

‘I saw the news and thought it was fake. I wrote to him and he said “yes”. I didn’t even know what to answer him, I didn’t answer him anymore. I saw him the next day and he was pretty bad.

‘As soon as Leo left, the club offered me number 10, I said no. No. Not wanting to take advantage of it, I had been the 10 in all my clubs… but I believed Messi would return.

“I told them someone else should use it. “You’re the only one who can use it, you or Ansu,” they told me. I told them to give it to Ansu Fati. For me the 10 belongs to Leo. If it’s not there, don’t use it.’

After a slow warm-up period at Camp Nou, Aguero made his debut in October 2021 against Valencia.

However, in only his fifth appearance, he was taken to hospital with chest pain during a 1–1 draw against Alaves.

It was initially reported that Aguero would miss three months of action, but after being diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia – a condition associated with irregularities in the heartbeat – Aguero retired in December 2021 on the advice of doctors.

And the 35-year-old started when he was forced to stop playing the game he loved and that fateful day against Alaves.

Messi eventually left the club due to financial problems and Aguero said he was shocked

The Argentinian also started after being forced to withdraw from the match due to a heart problem

“When we get to the end of a game, I jump to the head and start looking at my goal,” he said. ‘I’m starting to get dizzy, I wanted to say something and the words wouldn’t come out.

‘The Alaves defender was there and took my hand. He started shouting until the referee saw me and stopped the clash.

‘When I lay down on the grass, the pressure dropped. And my heart started beating faster. I got the arrhythmia. I had already had smaller episodes.

‘And a week before it happened to me during training. The doctor told me to calm down that it would stop, but it didn’t stop.

‘Two minutes was like twenty minutes. I took it as if it would cure me, and I was hospitalized for four days and then the diagnosis came.”