Sergio Aguero: The Moments That Made Them

0:00Alan Shearer:This episode is powered by Fuse Energy. Winter is all about energy. Switching on Christmas lights, warming your home for a cosy night in, keeping the TV on for all the festive fixtures.

0:13Gary Lineker:And Fuse keeps things simple thanks to their fixed rates, cheap tariffs and 24-7 support. Better yet, Alan.

0:21Alan Shearer:Fuse is the fastest growing energy company in the UK, and you can play a part in building the infrastructure for clean, affordable energy by referring land to Fuse for renewables development. Not only will you claim your place on the starting lineup of the clean energy revolution, you can earn a£2 ,000 reward by referring 20 acres or more of land to Fuse for solar projects.

0:45Gary Lineker:They're building a system that proves renewable power can be affordable, scalable in practice, and accessible to everyone, not just an idea on a tactics board.

0:57Alan Shearer:For more information about land referrals and energy powering the full festive fixture list, head to land at fuseenergy.com. This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Car shopping shouldn't feel like preparing for a marathon of paperwork. That's why Carvana makes buying and financing your car easy. From start to finish, search thousands of vehicles with great prices. All online, all on your time. And when you're ready, your new car shows up right at your door. It doesn't get better than that. Buy your car the easy way on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. Somewhere out there is a Chevy truck. And the person who drives it, well, that's a Chevy person.

1:42You probably know one. Your buddy. Your sister. Ones who always show up. They're the first to rise, the last to leave. They always have that little extra something. And maybe you've got it too. Chevrolet. Together let's drive. Visit chevy.com slash trucks to explore the lineup.

2:14Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football with Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and me, Gary Lineker. In our new episode on Premier League greats, the moments that made them, we're focusing on someone that, well, Micah knows very well. He was a former teammate, probably responsible for the most iconic moment in Premier League history and a wonderful goal scorer. I think we can all agree on that. is a certain well you can introduce him yourself Sergio Aguero Aguero Aguero Aguero with many O's what a finisher Alan

2:52Gary Lineker:yeah I mean you know when you're when you're that small as he was you have to be pretty special and he was I mean I think his balance you know for someone that size his balance and his strength I thought yeah I don't know if that's actually

3:10Alan Shearer:a scientific thing

3:11Gary Lineker:But he was just a brilliant goal scorer. He had the knack of knowing where to be in and around the six-yard box and scored some brilliant goals.

3:24Alan Shearer:You would have been there, obviously, at Manchester City, a relatively young man bursting onto the scene. When Sergio joined, I mean, he strikes me as quiet, maybe a bit shy or not. What was he like when he first... Can you remember when he walked through the doors or what you thought? I think we had him in the pre-season game a couple of seasons before. And in the game, he was unbelievable. What do you mean you had him? Played against him? Played against him, yeah. The pre-season friendly. Atletico. Atletico. Madrid, yeah. And we was looking at him in awe. So then when he come through the door, we was like, how on God's earth have we got him?

4:05We thought we couldn't really go Madrid. He's probably not going to go Barcelona. maybe Chelsea at the time. So when he come through, I was like, wow. Now people are going to take us.

4:15Gary Lineker:Really? You thought that then, didn't you? I just knew it. You knew he was that good. He was the only one at that time when you thought, he's good age, he scores goals for fun, good temperament. But in training, he was awful. Was he? You know, the first thing you do when you train, for all those who are not playing football, you do the rondos, don't you? Yeah. So they're called a couple of boxes or squares or whatever. And his touch was baggy. Was it? So I was thinking, no, this is, come on, surely not. He's got to be better than this. And he just trained like a, I won't say bag of shit, but he just trained.

4:52Couldn't be bothered. With his laces undone, so chilled out. Yeah. But when he got to a game, he was different. Sounds familiar.

5:00Alan Shearer:Level. I was a bit like that. Was he like that? Well, not that much, but I was, I mean, I could never get up for training. it i just found it dull really really dull i just yeah i just i mean i hate like five asides i've always thought were pointless you can talk about games like that circles and all that it's just like oh what are we doing let's go i wanted to if you're doing like physical training fine because i feel i'm getting something out of it if you're doing finishing great i'm in my element loved it switched on engaged finishing so people say oh you were lazy it wasn't that it was just come on give me something that's actually going to benefit me from training I think a lot of strikers are possibly like that a little bit

5:44Gary Lineker:well I was the opposite way when you said about the fitness training I hated I hated it but I felt

5:51Alan Shearer:I was getting something out

5:51Gary Lineker:really yeah what was he like in the fitness training because fitness we didn't really do no not that bothered I was always at the back in the fitness I was at the back

6:03Alan Shearer:of long distance runs but I was always at the front of the sprints. Oh, the sprints, I was at the same. Yeah, same.

6:07Gary Lineker:But doesn't it just go to shore, though? It doesn't, it's fine if you like that because everyone's different. Whatever rocks the boat and if the manager understands that and thinks, you know what, he's going to win me games out on the football pitch when it really matters in the games and it doesn't, the big picture, it doesn't really matter how you're trained. We had a good attitude there. He did. It was no trouble whatsoever. You've had a bit of a nasty streak to him as well, didn't you? On the pitch, yeah. On the pitch, yeah. He had a little bit of nastiness about him. But in training, he was just the most relaxed person ever.

6:40But finishing, finishes in training, like you said, that's when he came alive. All different sort of finishes. When he was in training, little dinks, passing, weight of it, shooting from 30 yards, he could do easily.

6:55Gary Lineker:And he worked on that as well, did he? I wouldn't say, it was just 10 minutes after training. 10 minutes after training, just doing little finishes. And he just made it look so easy.

7:04Alan Shearer:Do you think he's aware of the fact that he owes his success at Manchester City to you? Well, I've tried to tell a few people this, yeah. Because you had the assist for Sergio Aguero's first goal, which is our first moment. Toure, Johnson, lovely play. Aguero, a debut goal, and they've got yet another hero here, Manchester City. Can I go up to the screen and do an answer? If you score a first goal, there's never even a second goal. Look at you, high and wide. Come on, let's go. This is proper. Look at this. He's off again. Here we go. You've got his... He calmed down! Can we go back on there, please?

7:48He nearly fell through the street. Can you do the... Just pause it for me there. Look at this. Modern day fullback. This is in 2012. It would have been 2011. This would have been 2011. High and wide. Taking the winger or fullback high and wide there. Roll it slowly for me, please, H. Lovely. Pause. Now allowing better players with technical ability to get on the ball there. My job, Mancini told me, we want you there. That's what you want. High and wide and getting those areas here. Roll it on for me, please, sir. Now, pause. Hang on a minute. Pause. Look at this. We've talked. You're offside. You're offside.

8:37It's about timing of the rush. I think you look slightly offside. So look at this. When we talk about fullbacks, awareness. Yeah. Look at the run. Pathetic run by Dzeko. Aguero is too late. But we roll it on. Big Meeks is aware. We're not even going to the back post. Boom. How do you want it? On a play. On a play. See you later.

8:57Gary Lineker:How many times did you get in that position and shank it into the crowd? Never! Get off! That was a great ball, by the way. The first goal he scores. Look at this. Typing! Ooh, in VAR! VAR! VAR!

9:11Alan Shearer:I think he might be outside! Oh, it's the right back might be playing you on.

9:15Gary Lineker:I can imagine Sergio Aguero thinking, oh my God, playing up front in this team with that guy, up and down that right-hand side, whipping balls like that in. Little did he know that was the one and only time that you did it. No, no, no, no. No, no. He's obviously not done any research because there's more. That is a great ball, you know.

9:41Alan Shearer:That is a great cross, Michael. It's a credit where it's due. Did you know, I spoke to Sergio once and I asked him, I said to him, you know, what made you join Manchester City in the first place? And he did say to me, big meeks. He must have heard about the nights out. What was that? Oh, it might have been about the nights out. It might actually have been about that. But could you tell in the early... I mean, I know you talk about training, his attitude, and wasn't, you know, but did you feel he was a bit... He was special. Yeah. It was special. Once you played in the games, though. In the game.

10:13He scored, what, two goals on his debut? He scored another one in that one.

10:17Alan Shearer:Look at this for a finish, by the way. Yeah. This was a brilliant goal. 30, 40 yards. which he's not necessarily known for, but he could do that. Look at that. Yeah. The embrace. Couldn't Aguero in those days. He always had couldn't on his shirt in those days.

10:33Gary Lineker:Look at that. Technique. He didn't score too many of them, did he? No. That was his debut, by the way. And he'd come on as a sub. Came on as a sub, yeah. Came on as a sub. Two goals and assists. Ridiculous. Not a bad way to start, is it? But Swansea, this game, they played us off the park for the first 50 minutes. we was all knackered from pre-season we wasn't fit and then the quality

10:55Alan Shearer:shone in the end going to the next moment we have which was actually I think when the noisy neighbours became a bit more than noisy neighbours and that's when you won 6-1 at Old Trafford that must have been so special it was amazing I got man of the match in this game really? and I don't know how hang on a minute hang on a minute can we just change the episode to to Micah Richards because I'm going back up Up the screen again. H, come back a little bit. We're going back up again. We're going back up again. So look at this. Again. Offside again. Look at the timing of the run. I'm looking across the line.

11:33Look, how do you want it, Alan?

11:35Gary Lineker:Brilliant. How do you want it? As much as I don't like it, to say, those are great balls you put in. Look at this. Toure, Balotelli, Milner, Chris from City, it's Richards, Good. It's three. Sergio Aguero. No doubt now about the outcome. Completely Manchester City's day. Have a look up.

11:56Alan Shearer:I love the technique there. Just boom. Just fizzy. But you rattled it in. You don't need to bend it. Just fizzy. Yeah, honestly. But that game, 6-1. What would Aguero have been without you? Nothing. Nothing at all. I'm trying to tell him. Nothing at all. Aguero aside, that victory, the dressing room after and stuff, must have been buzzing, wasn't it? It was madness, because back then, do you remember how annoying Rio Ferdinand was? No, no, no, no, no, but I get on with Rio. I'm not being like, in terms of... On the pitch? Whenever they won anything... Oh, was he? He would be all over social media, the nightclubs or whatever.

12:32He'd be banging on the dressing room door when they'd win. So when we went there, we made a right racket. Did you? We was knocking on their doors and all that. Champagne and all that.

12:43Alan Shearer:Very noisy now, he is. Very noisy. It was just, it was an amazing feeling because that was a time when we knew we'd have arrived. To go to Old Trafford, although they had 10 men, I think it was Johnny Evans got sent off in the game. But to go to Old Trafford and win 6-1. Was that the point where you thought we're now serious competitors? This is serious now. We said that in a dressing room. We said we could beat anyone. We could do that here. Because even when you go down to 10 men, they might defend a little bit. you might, you know, win three or four or whatnot, but to get six, it was embarrassing for him.

13:19Alan Shearer:Do you gloat at all? Do I gloat? Did you gloat? No, I had an interview afterwards, actually, and I was very calm. Yeah. Measured until the night out. I was giving it big licks. The circle back then, wasn't it? Champagne was flowing. Was Sergio with you? No, he wasn't, actually. It was all the English lads. Well, you do surprise me. I think David Silver might have come out that night as well. Well, you've always said David likes it. Joe Art, we work with Joe Art now. Yeah, he was there.

13:52Alan Shearer:This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. New year, new website for your business and Squarespace makes it easy. Choose from a line of professional templates customised with simple drag and drop tools and let their AI builder help you create a polished site in just a few steps. Head to squarespace.com slash football for a free trial And when you're ready to launch, use offer code FOOTBALL to save 10 % off your first purchase of a website or domain. This episode is brought to you by Whoop. In the modern game, of course, there are a lot more games and that feeling of being slightly off by Monday.