Should Sergio Agüero Leave Atlético?

By: Al | May 28th, 2009

Expectations were high, but this season wasn’t Kun Aguero’s best. He has scored 16 goals, three less than last year, and also received criticism for having bad games and for diving (see: the Valencia match). Regardless, he still showed moments of magic (PSV, Barcelona, Marseille, etc) but he’s still where he started two years ago: as the U-20 champion with lots more to prove.

Regardless, he is still one of the most in-demand strikers in the world. He is only 20 years old and since kicking ass at Independiente, he has won numerous individual awards, two U-20 World Cups and an Olympic medal. Yes, he is often in the shadow of Messi but Aguero is still 20 years old, and he’ll only get better, as trite as that statement may be.

He is growing but is he at the right place to keep on improving?

Aguero has been linked with many “big” clubs, such as Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan (f*ck off Moratti), Real Madrid (who his dad apparently had talks with), and others.

It seems like Aguero will be staying here next season, and he never hides his love for Atleti (”it feels like I was born into this club”) but is it the right decision considering that he could become a talisman at an even bigger club?

On one side, all you have to do is look at a certain Fernando Torres. At Atlético, he was the captain, the symbol, and the man with the team’s weight on his shoulders, despite all the quality in the squad. All eyes were on Torres and shortly after witnessing Barcelona destroy Atletico 0-6 at home, he weighed his options and finally broke hearts by announcing his departure and heading to Liverpool.

Since leaving Atlético Madrid, Torres has flourished at Liverpool despite not winning one title with them. I don’t need to remind you of how awesome Torres is as a player, and how he is miles better since the day he scored his first Liverpool goal against Chelsea. Torres mentions countless times in the news about how much better the league in England is and he even once mentioned that Aguero needs to leave Atlético in order to get better. No argument against Torres’ departure, because it was a great decision.

On the contrary, things are a bit different than when Torres was here. You may believe that world class can only be shaped at a team like Liverpool, or Inter, or any other big club. However, realize that Atlético is also growing at a steady pace.

This is no longer the team that would battle it out in the middle of the table and hope for entrance to the Intertoto Cup or minor Copa Del Rey success. Atlético will be in the Champions League next season (assuming we earn a point on Saturday, then get past the third round, which shouldn’t be too hard) and if you’ve seen them this season, they were also undefeated in the Champions League. The entire team boasts quality in almost every position and despite some inconsistencies, only a few changes in mentality and roster could make this team one of the best in Europe. Mark my words.

Also, there is no pressure for Aguero to take the team to the top on his own. The heroics this season were split almost evenly between him, Forlan, and Simao. The team plays much better than in the Torres days and the fact that they are good enough to defeat the likes of Barcelona just shows that they are a team with true quality. Aguero is not too good for the team, and he is only one of many stars.

My point is, Atlético is a great team too, so Aguero is not in the wrong place.

But what do you think? Should he leave or stay?

Which choice is best for Kun Aguero?(opinion poll)