by ant london » Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:26 am
On a cool early evening in Manchester, high above a city that now defines his new world, Sergio Agüero and a football are inseparable. He cradles the ball as he talks, stroking it with a smile whenever he sounds exuberant or intrigued by the latest twist in a journey that has taken him from a rough quarter of Buenos Aires to Madrid and now Manchester. Here, in an old English industrial city that has audaciously reinvented itself, Agüero has begun his latest adventure with a deadly flourish.
Agüero and Manchester City open their Champions League campaign at home to Napoli on Wednesday. It may be the first time in 43 years that City have played at the peak of European football, but the way they have begun this season suggests they are in the mood for glory. Fired by outrageous wealth, the depth and quality of their squad is now epitomised by Agüero's cool brilliance and his rush of six goals in his first four games for the club.
"There is a very special feeling in Manchester right now," Agüero says in his Argentinian-accented Spanish. "I am beginning to understand how much this game against Napoli, and this whole competition, means to City's fans. They believe we can go a long way in this competition and I think they are right.
"We have all the conditions in place to go much further than anyone might have expected just a few months ago. But we are starting to appreciate that for the City fans, who have supported the club in difficult moments over many years, it will mean most to them if we do well."
Anticipating all that awaits the blue half of Manchester, Agüero talks animatedly while resting his chin on his football. But asked how his English lessons are progressing, he says, hesitantly, in English: "Lowly?"
"Slowly," it eventually emerges, is the word he meant to say. But Agüero looks as if he could kiss the ball when, chattering in Spanish about Diego Maradona, he realises that another tentative introduction of an English phrase, "my father‑in‑law", is correct.
"You know I phoned him, my father-in-law," Agüero says. "I said: 'Guess what? Guess who we've got in the group stages? Napoli.' Diego just shouted: 'Napoli!' He then said: 'OK, fantastic, that's a game I'd love to see.' Of course he made history in Napoli and he is still an idol there. He never got to play against Napoli in his own career so it's great another family member can now step in against his old team."
The night would be made complete in Manchester by the sudden arrival of Maradona. And, in an even more combustible setting, Napoli would surely erupt in late November if Maradona attends the return match. "He would love to be here," Agüero nods, "but his work in Dubai [where Maradona's surreal coaching career resumes with a club called Al-Wasl] meant he could not come to Manchester this week. The season in Dubai is starting and even Napoli is a little too far for him."
Did Agüero discuss his move from Atlético Madrid with Maradona before he signed for City in early July? "No," Agüero says. "There was actually a silent period between us when all the negotiations were going on. I couldn't really spread the word to anyone about what was happening. But a few days before I actually came here I called Diego and told him I was planning to join Man City. He just said: 'I wish you all the luck and hope you do well.'"
Agüero's parents are currently with him in Manchester but the presence next door of his wife, Giannina, and two-and-a-half-year-old son Benjamín, seems most striking. Giannina, Maradona's daughter, ensures she and her son with Sergio maintain a discreet distance. But, with a grandad like Maradona, and his own dad, Benjamín Agüero might turn out to be a decent player one day.
Compared to Carlos Tevez, who has trumpeted his family's apparent loathing of Manchester, the extended Agüero clan appears settled. "You know," the 23-year-old Agüero says, "ever since I got engaged to her, my wife told me: 'Look, I know football, I understand how it works. I will follow you wherever the game takes you.' That's exactly what happened. It's maybe not an easy city to adjust to – but I'm doing well so far and the main reason is down to my wife and family. They understand that this is an important club that made a decisive bet on me for their new project. It helps when you feel wanted not only at home – but at work.
"I've been with my wife for four years. Ever since we got married, and had Benjamín, they've been with me. My wife came here to Manchester four days after I signed. We've found a house we want to live in and it's obviously important they enjoy the city by themselves. They've started to explore Manchester and they're getting to know the new environment. They like it very much – as does the whole family. My mother and father can't be here as often because I have brothers living in Argentina but it's important I'm with Giannina and Benjamín.
"I actually think going from Buenos Aires to Madrid was more difficult. Of course me being only 18 then was a big factor but La Liga seemed much harder and more physical than Argentina. That was a big adjustment. Also, the Madrid weather was not so good. Coming to Manchester you could say the first week was awkward but then I started adjusting and my team-mates helped a lot. Now it's already OK."
What was most awkward about his first week in Manchester? "Well, mainly in the sense that when you've been with one team so long, you are familiar with how they do things and the whole environment. It's difficult when you suddenly have new team-mates and a new way of doing things. But after the first week it got easier. You start to feel used to the manager, your team-mates, the routine, the place itself. It's an adaptation process and it still hasn't ended. I take it week by week."
But what is the mood of the usually grouchy Tevez? "I'm only really with him at the training ground. At training, obviously, everyone is happy and we're just working together. I can't really say how he feels beyond that because I would be commenting on his life and I'm sure he would like that as much as I would if he was commenting on mine. But I really don't know. For me, everything is fine. I'm adapting quite well to English football with the same will I've always had."
A clinical hat-trick against Wigan last Saturday was just the latest evidence that Agüero could become the most significant signing of the season. He also started his first Champions League season with Atlético, in 2008-09, with a spate of goals. "I scored a goal in the qualifying game for the Champions League against Schalke, when we won 4-1. And then in the first group game against PSV we won 3-0 and I scored two. I also scored in the next game against Marseille. So I had a good start in this competition."
The only time Agüero sets his ball aside comes when he reaches for his new Puma boots – which he will wear for the first time against Napoli. Draping them around his neck, and clutching them happily, Agüero says: "If I could score a goal with these boots against Napoli it would be a great debut for me and City in the Champions League. Of course, winning the game is much more important but a goal would be nice."
After four Premier League games for City, in which they have scored 15 goals and been the only team apart from Manchester United to collect maximum points, does he feel even more confident that the club is on the brink of a considerable breakthrough? "Yes. City has been quite a big club for a while but some really good investments have been made. If you look at the last three signings – me, Owen [Hargreaves] and [Samir] Nasri – it clearly shows a club investing in players with the aim of achieving something. As long as the group stays tight, like now, and we're playing good football, the results will keep coming. Hopefully we can win a lot of trophies for the club."
Could City actually win the Champions League at their first attempt? "Well," Agüero grins, "it's a really tough competition. But I think we have as good a chance as any other team. The club might not be experienced in Champions League football but we have experienced players."
The champions, Barcelona, whom Agüero played against so often during four seasons in Spain, are still the benchmark. "Of course," Agüero says. "They are above everyone else because they've proved this over the last four years. But they are still just a football team and at Atlético we beat them three times in a row at our stadium. Last year we lost 2-1 – but we beat them every time at home before that. They can't stay dominant for ever. Other teams have the potential to overtake them."
Agüero believes City now belong among those aspiring clubs. His own ambition is also made plain when he admits that he dreams of one day replacing Lionel Messi as the world's leading player. "There's no doubt Messi is currently the best player in the world. He's won the Ballon d'Or the last two years. But it is my dream too to reach such a level and I work every day with the aim of winning that trophy one day – so I can say: 'Yes, I am the best player in the world.'"
Before then, Agüero reflects on his extraordinary rise from poverty and hardship in Buenos Aires. "I think about it – a lot. It's something that goes with you, as baggage in a way. I think of it even more when I watch TV and see people struggling to live. I was lucky. Although my neighbourhood was very humble, I always had my family and friends. But it helps me to remember the effort I had to make and the obstacles I had to overcome to reach this point. I had to sacrifice a lot, as my family did, and now it has paid off.
"I like to think that people who really know me understand I am the same person – and that is something I will always fight to maintain. Obviously the money is there, but I want to stay the same. At the same time I want my son to enjoy what I didn't have. My father-in-law often looks at all the toys and games Benjamín has. Diego says: 'I didn't have this' or 'I didn't have that.' I say: 'Well, me neither. But it's something your grandson and my son can enjoy.'"
As darkness spreads across Manchester, there is just time for one last question. It follows an appraisal by Agüero of the more famous club that has ruled this city for decades. "United have been dominant for so long but this season this is a real chance we can challenge them – with the new players and the talent and the mentality within the club. I've never won a league championship anywhere and so I really want to do it here – and I expect to do it here. Let's hope."
Could City overcome a rejuvenated United and win the league in Agüero's first season with the club? "Sí!" Agüero exclaims. "And I don't think you need to translate that word. Sí!"
[/center][center]"City fans are born not manufactured, We do not choose we are chosen 
