Subscribe
Follow Us
FC Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero officially retired from soccer on Wednesday due to a recently-discovered heart condition. In an emotional press conference on Wednesday, a teary-eyed Aguero bid his farewell to the Barcelona supporters. Afterwards, Aguero's close friend and Argentine national teammate Lionel Messi spoke on his compatriot's retirement.
Via CBS Sports' Golazo Show, Messi shared some emotional messages regarding his relationship with the former Manchester City star, touching on some of their successes as teammates and wishing him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Lionel Messi speaks on his close friend and teammate Sergio Aguero retiring 💙. pic.twitter.com/xINSjc1N59
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 15, 2021
The news of Aguero's retirement shocked the soccer world. The 33-year-old has not played for Barcelona since October. He was subbed off during the Catalan side's clash against Alaves after experiencing chest pains. He was later diagnosed as having an arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. Doctors advised the legendary striker that it would be a health risk to continue his career, thus prompting his premature retirement from soccer.
Messi and Aguero have long since been close friends, dating back to their time coming up the ranks of the Argentinian national team. The opportunity to play with Messi at the club level was a key factor in Aguero's decision to join Barcelona after his contract with Manchester City expired. Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan, and Messi joined PSG shortly after.
Aguero started his professional career with Atletico Madrid, featuring for the club from 2006-2011 and contributing 75 goals and 24 assists across 175 appearances. He joined Manchester City at age 23 and would go onto become a club legend, winning five Premier League titles with the club and scoring 184 goals across 275 matches. He managed just four appearances for Barcelona before his health issues forced him to step away from the sport.
