BARCELONA: After joining Spanish club FC Barcelona, Argentine striker Sergio Aguero said that he is looking forward to playing alongside Lionel Messi.
Spanish club FC Barcelona and Sergio Aguero on Monday reached an agreement for the player to join the club from July 1 when his contract with Manchester City expires.
The player will sign a contract until the end of the 2022/23 season and his buy-out clause is set at 100 million euros.
"I will give my all for the club, to help the team. To win trophies. I am so happy to be here. Barcelona has been the best team in the world since I was a kid, and on top of that Leo Messi is here," said Aguero in an official release.
"I hope we play together. As Joan Laporta said, we have been negotiating for a while. What happens with Leo is up to him. But obviously it's a pleasure and an honour to play with him. We have been together for Argentina since we were kids, and I know him very well. If he stays, as I believe he will, we will give our all for the club. As he always has," he added.
Barcelona will not be Aguero's first experience of playing in La Liga. In 2006, he left Independiente for Atletico Madrid and quickly made his name as one of the best strikers in Europe, winning a Europa League title in 2010 and the UEFA Super Cup in 2011 before adding to his collection of honours in England with Manchester City.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aguero at the age of 15 years and 35 days, became the youngest player ever to play in the Argentine First Division with Club Atletico Independiente.
"Being here at Barca is the greatest motivation. As I said, Barca is the best team in the world and simply being here is the greatest motivation. And as I always said, the best player in the world is here," said Aguero.
A move to Europe saw the striker triumph first at Atletico Madrid in La Liga before moving to Manchester City where he set all kinds of goalscoring records. Aguero played his last game for Manchester City, appearance number 390, in the recent Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto.
After 10 seasons with the Premier League, he left the club as a legend and the club's all-time top scorer and as the foreign player with the most goals in the Premier League.
In total with Manchester City, he scored 260 goals, created 74 assists, and won 15 trophies - 5 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 6 League Cups, and 3 Community Shields, the Premier League's version of the Super Cup.
On an international level, Aguero was part of the Argentine U-20 World Cup-winning squads in 2005 and 2007 as well as winning Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 alongside Leo Messi.