Aguero To Travel With Argentina Squad To World Cup Despite Retirement
One of the most gut-wrenching stories from the 2021-22 season so far has been the early retirement of Sergio Aguero. The former Manchester City striker was forced to retire from football aged just 33 after advice from doctors. However, it has been revealed by Drapuestas that the striker has been offered a role to be part of the Argentinean Team for the 2022 World Cup later this year.
Aguero Hoping To Assist Young Argentina Stars
The 33-year-old announced his retirement from the sport back in December brought an end to his 18-year playing career. However, he has recently revealed that he has held talks with Claudio Tapia, the president of Argentina’s football association. It was agreed that Aguero would play a part within the squad for the upcoming World Cup, albeit as part of the coaching staff.
The former striker also revealed that he was hopeful of attending the World Cup draw in early April, as a representative of the Argentinean FA. Aguero revealed the talks to TyC Sports in the middle of February, as he revealed that he had spoken with Tapia, and that the association were trying to finalize plans for him to be with the squad at the soccer winter World Cup.
The striker’s experience at major tournaments could be integral for the development of the younger players in the squad, while he revealed that he gets along very well with his national teammates and would be happy to help the squad in any way that’s possible.
Aguero’s International Career
Aguero made his debut for the senior national side aged just 18 in a friendly against Brazil in September 2006. However, he needed to wait to score his first goal for Argentina, but that dually arrived when he netted in a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. Aguero went on to score three more times during qualification as Argentina reached the World Cup finals in South Africa. He made an immediate impression in that tournament after replacing Carlos Tevez against South Korea; scoring within minutes. However, Argentina were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by Germany.
Aguero continued to be a star player for Argentina despite their failings in the 2014 World Cup, and then the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas. After a penalty shootout defeat in the Copa America Centenario against Chile, he almost retired from international football but was encouraged to continue playing.
His final attempt to win the World Cup came in 2018, but his preparation for the tournament was negatively impacted after being taken to hospital after collapsing at half time in a fixture against Nigeria. However, he made a quick recovery and was named in their World Cup squad. Aguero scored his first ever World Cup goal in a 1-1 draw against Iceland, before netting in their eventual 4-3 loss against eventual winners France in the round of 16.
The striker helped Argentina win bronze at the 2019 Copa America, but his greatest success with the national side came in 2021. He won his 100th cap for Argentina in a group stage win over Bolivia, before playing an important role for the national team as they ended their long wait for an international success as they won the 2021 Copa America. He retired from the game as Argentina’s third-highest scorer, having scored 41 goals in 101 appearances.
Can Argentina Win The World Cup?
As the defending Copa America champions, Argentina will head to the World Cup in Qatar as one of the main contenders to win the competition. However, much of their chances of achieving that feat could hang in the balance when the draw is made.
Argentina were extremely disappointing in the 2018 World Cup, and were lucky to get out of a very straightforward-looking group before being beaten by France. Key questions remain over the national side, including where is the best place to play Lionel Messi and how can the manager get the best out of the new crop of young players available.
However, with Aguero on the bench assisting the team, a case can be made that his experience may be pivotal, especially when it comes to guiding younger players such as Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez. But, regardless, they still face an almighty challenge if they are to win their first World Cup since 1986, as teams such as Brazil, France and England look much stronger across the field and from the bench.
