Barcelona forward Sergio Aguero breaks down and announces retirement for health reasons
Barcelona, Dec 15: Fighting back tears, Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero announced his immediate retirement on Wednesday for health reasons.
The 33-year-old Argentina striker underwent heart tests after leaving the field, holding his chest, during Barcelona's match against Alaves in the Spanish league on October 30.
His condition has since been evaluated, and a sobbing Aguero said at a Camp Nou press conference attended by Barcelona players and board members, family and former colleagues that he had decided to stop playing.
"I'd like to stay here and keep helping my teammates," Aguero said, "but things happen for a reason."
Aguero said he made the decision 10 days ago. He was told after his first heart test that there was a big possibility he could not play again.
He took deep breaths and shook his head before making the announcement, then looked on in sadness as a highlight reel of his career highlights was shown on the screen.
Aguero is one of the world's most well-known players, having only joined Barcelona in the offseason after ending a 10-year stint at Manchester City during which he became a great of the English game.
Using his explosive movement and powerful shot, Aguero scored a club-record 260 goals for City and was a key player in the growth of the team as a major force in England and Europe. He had a record 12 hat tricks in his total haul of 184 Premier League goals, the most for an overseas player and the fourth most all-time.
He also scored arguably the Premier League's most famous goal, the dramatic stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers that clinched the title for City on the final day of the 2011-12 season.
Aguero, who joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, struggled with injuries in his final two seasons at City and missed the start of his first season at Barcelona because of fitness issues. He only played in five games for the Catalan club.
For Argentina, Aguero scored 41 times in 97 matches putting him third on the national team's all-time scoring list after making his senior team debut in 2006. That came between two world titles for Argentina's youth teams.
Aguero's only major title with Argentina came at this year's edition of the Copa America, in which he barely featured, and he also won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.
Aguero was one of the youngest players to make his debut in Argentina's top division, at the age of 15 for Independiente. He had spoken about potentially finishing his career at the Buenos Aires club.
"It's a very difficult moment ... it's for my health."
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 15, 2021
— @aguerosergiokun pic.twitter.com/DYBjqqSQf2
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Rahul Gandhi lays foundation stone for 100 houses for landslide victims in Wayanad
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for 100 houses to be constructed by the party for victims of the 2024 landslide here.
Congress is constructing 100 houses, each measuring 1,100 sq ft and 8 cents of land.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha assured the affected families that he and his family would always stand with those who had lost everything in the tragedy.
He recalled witnessing two major landslides and how people responded to them.
“You have lost a lot, but you have not lost your spirit. You never lost your courage. Most importantly, you did not lose your compassion,” Gandhi said.
Rahul said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pointed out alleged delays in the process of constructing houses for the victims.
“There were complexities related to permissions, land and other issues. Now, I hope it will be completed soon,” he said.
He described the ceremony as a "symbol and a message" to the affected families.
“In this process of recovery and healing, we are with you. We will stand with you whenever you need us,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she had witnessed the hardship of people who lost everything, including their families.
She mentioned Anyan and Hanni, who lost their farms and family members in the landslide.
“We have tried our best to raise your voice in Parliament again and again. All our MPs met the Home Minister to demand that it be declared a national disaster. We wrote to the Prime Minister and held protests outside Parliament,” she said.
She said what struck her most after the tragedy was the courage of the people.
“The way you all stood together, no matter what religion or section you belong to, you gave love and courage when it mattered most,” she said.
She said she was not the MP when the tragedy struck, but had since become a daughter, sister and part of the family.
Vadra said all political parties had contributed to the rehabilitation process.
As the people's struggle continues, the party would stand with them to overcome it, she added.
Both leaders also distributed Rs 5 lakh each to 40 people who lost their shops in the landslide.
Senior Congress and UDF leaders were present at the event.
