End of an era. Record breaker Sergio Aguero signs off in style bagging a brace in his Etihad farewell

A 25 minute cameo appearance off the bench and two goals for Sergio Aguero. It was just another day at the office for the Argentine as he bowed out of English football in style.

On a day where Manchester City lifted their third Premier League title in just four seasons, one man stole the show and rightly so.

Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero played his final match for Manchester City on Sunday after a decade at the club. An emotional afternoon for many as the 10,000 returning fans waved goodbye to one of the all time greats in the clubs history.

Despite starting the game on the bench, he was still able to come on and leave his mark on the game as he bagged a brace. The only other time he managed a brace off the bench – his debut v Swansea all the way back in 2011.

Both goals oozed in class. The first, he latched onto a loose ball turning Mason Holgate inside out before calmly slotting past Pickford, whilst the second was a stunning header which looped into the far corner.

Scoring both his 183rd and 184th Premier League goals, Aguero overtook Rooney and became the player who has scored the most Premier League goals for a single club in the history of the competition.

Whilst the Argentine finished fourth in the Premier League all-time top scorers list, with just Andy Cole (187), Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260) above him.

Had it not been for injuries this season, it is very likely Aguero would’ve surpassed Cole and ended up third on that list.

Post match Manchester City held a ceremony for the departing striker as he received various special gifts including a lifetime season ticket which other club legends such as Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Yaya Toure, also received when they left.

One of many poignant moments during the afternoon was Pep Guardiola’s post match interview, in which the Catalan broke down in tears when talking about Aguero.

Guardiola knows more than anyone what that man means to Manchester City Football Club, and when asked how they would replace him he simply replied,

“We cannot.”

Further asked about Aguero’s future plans, Pep gave a big hint about what possibly lies ahead for the Argentine.

“Maybe I reveal a secret. Maybe he is close to agreeing a deal for the club of my heart – for Barcelona. He is going to be playing alongside the best player of all time, Messi. I’m pretty sure he is going to enjoy. And maybe Barcelona are stronger and stronger with him on the pitch,”

As Manchester City wrapped up another title under Pep Guardiola, their focus now turns to Porto and to arguably the biggest game in the clubs history.

The Everton game was the perfect preparation as the Blues finished the season in emphatic style beating the Toffees 5-0.

Kevin De Bruyne made his comeback after a spell out with injury and looks to have returned to form at just the right time as he picked up a goal and assist in a quite special first-half performance.

Phil Foden also notched another goal before being replaced in the 55th minute as Pep looked to keep his best assets fresh for the game in Porto in just four days time.

Their opponents in the final, Chelsea, lost on the last day away at Villa. Despite being on the wrong end of the result at Villa Park they still managed to achieve Champions League qualification as Leicester lost to Spurs and missed out.

So how does Guardiola approach the final? With Aguero having missed most of the season with injuries and Gabriel Jesus being out of form for a large part, Pep has often decided to head into the big games this season with no recognised striker and so far it has worked tremendously well.

So why change a winning formula?

One man will want to have a say on the matter. As Aguero approaches the final game of his illustrious career at Manchester City, after providing his team with countless important goals when they needed him most, he will be itching for one final chance to prove himself on the biggest stage in world football.

After proving his fitness and bagging a brace against Everton, Aguero has given his manager a potential headache heading into the final. However there is a good chance he will have to settle for a place on the bench as Guardiola won’t want to change what has worked so well for him this season.

One thing for sure is that Sergio Aguero has cemented his place amongst the very best in Premier League history, but can he produce one final moment to complete the fairytale ending?

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