Andy Dawson: What Aguero must do to get the recognition he deserves

The Premier League has been the home of a myriad of mind-bendingly great strikers over the past quarter of a century. Think Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Robbie Fowler and more. Players who consistently found the back of the net year after year with fewer dry spells than the Amazon rain forest.

A similar great walks among us right now, but frustratingly seems to be somewhat undervalued by the game’s hordes of esteemed scholars, even though he has bagged over 200 goals in just seven seasons – go and do them maths and then pick your jaw up off the floor/desk/whatever.

Football – VfL Wolfsburg v Manchester City Pre Season Friendly – Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany – 4/8/12
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero celebrates scoring their first goal
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Adam Holt
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I speak of course of Sergio Aguero. Manchester City’s deadly marksman is the holder of the club’s all-time goalscoring record and is just four goals short of becoming the ninth player to score 150 Premier League goals. What’s more, his goal-to-games ratio is better than the eight names that are already in that exclusive club.

He’s even scored 39 goals in 89 games for what, let’s face it, is currently a minging Argentina side.

There’s almost surely plenty more to come as well – Aguero says he’s feeling better than he has in years following keyhole surgery on his knee towards the end of last season. There’s another two years left on his contract, and if he stays fit and maintains his current goal average, he should walk away from Manchester as the third top scorer in the Premier League’s history.

Soccer Football – FA Cup Third Round – Manchester City vs Burnley – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – January 6, 2018 Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Phil Noble

He’s more than just a goalscorer though, which makes his underrated status all the more galling. As Pep Guardiola said after Aguero’s hat-trick against Huddersfield last month, ‘It’s the spaces he creates, the chances, moves, assists, how often he’s fouled. He never stops.’ High praise given that Guardiola and Aguero haven’t always seen eye to eye.

So what measures can Aguero take that boost the love for him from the critics and wider public? Well…

COME BACK AS A NEW SIGNING

Remember when Guy Incognito appeared in that episode of The Simpsons and we all thought it was Homer in disguise for a few seconds? Maybe that’s Aguero’s best bet – a new name, a new look and fresh recognition.

After all, he’s been scoring relentlessly in the Premier League for seven seasons and we’re probably taking him for granted now.

If he whacks on a top hat and fake moustache and adopts a dodgy English accent, we’ll all be doing the heart eyes emoji for him all over again.

FLY A BANNER

This is the kind of thing that seems to get people’s attention these days. Just hire a plane to fly a banner over every ground that he plays at, with his grand total of 204 goals in 297 City appearances daubed on it as a reminder of his total awesomeness.

WEAR A HARRY KANE MASK

Nothing against England’s number nine, but Aguero has been doing it since Kane was out on loan and struggling for form for Millwall. Thanks to our in-built Three Lions bias, Kane is seen as the Premier League’s top forward, unfairly edging Aguero out of the reckoning.

BE MORE AGUERO

Being part of a team of glittering talents doesn’t help if you’re looking to highlight a shining star, but if he keeps on keeping on for the final two years of his contract before his planned departure to his boyhood club Independiente, Aguero HAS to go down as one of the greatest forwards in Premier League history.

Whether you’re a City fan or not, next time you see him on TV, lean in and give him a little kiss or rub his hair – you’ll miss him when he’s gone.