For me, Sergio Aguero was the best player in the English Premier League bar none for a decade.
The natural heir to the throne created by Eric Cantona and Peter Schmeichel and continued by the likes of Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Not only was he responsible for the most famous goal in the competition’s history, but he was the catalyst for Manchester City to transform from big-spending challengers to the dominant force in the English game.
His domestic send-off in May this year was fitting as he finished as the champion he was.
Even his brief spell at Barcelona, before his enforced retirement announced last week, saw him score in his only ever appearance in El Clasico.
And on a personal note, as a Manchester United fan, he was a player I had wanted my club to sign for some time and is the sole player in near 30 years of Premier League history who I was desperate that we missed out on – to my mind, he was a true Manchester United player.
Of course he became a City icon, sometimes at United’s expense, and the rest is history.
Even at the age of 33, he could have become a true star in Catalonia.
Common sense has dictated he has taken the decision he has. The hard part now will be who can replace a star who scored 379 goals and provided 146 assists in a total of 666 club matches.
In addition, for Argentina, Aguero represented his country on 101 occasions, scoring 41 goals and providing 19 assists.
City haven’t managed to replace him – not yet anyway – and the task facing Barca is an even tougher one as a club in the middle of its darkest period for decades.
Ironically, Barcelona have gone back to City for their immediate replacement after the English champions agreed to sell them Spaniard Ferran Torres.
The La Liga club are expected to offer the Spain international a lucrative five-year contract, despite their widely reported financial issues.
Indeed, Torres could travel to Spain in the next 24 hours to finalise contract arrangements and undergo a medical.
The 21-year-old has not featured for City since late September after injuring a foot on international duty but has resumed training and his condition is not expected to be a barrier to a move. Before his injury, the forward had been in fine form, scoring seven in 11 appearances for club and country.
Given that four teams have netted more goals than Barcelona in the Spanish top-flight this season – Real Madrid, Sevilla, Real Betis and Valencia – new boss Xavi knows full well how much a striker is required and it will probably take more than the arrival of young Torres to solve that issue.
Another player who has been linked is veteran Edinson Cavani, although it seems unlikely he would be allowed to leave United until the end of the season.
Likewise, despite the rumours of a move for Cavani’s team-mate Marcus Rashford, he is a Red Devil through and through so that leaves yet another man with United links as an option.
Alexis Sanchez is not thought to be Xavi’s primary target and the Catalan club may struggle to cover his salary should he return to Catalonia from Inter Milan, yet stranger things have happened.
Another exciting young prospect is 21-year-old Julian Alvarez from River Plate, who has recorded 22 goals and 14 assists with the Argentinian side.
American Christian Pulisic, who plies his trade with Chelsea, has struggled to earn a starting role in west London and, if he can stay clear of injuries, perhaps he could be an option on loan.
Either way, Barcelona need at least one striker.
Martin Braithwaite and Ansu Fati are both sidelined with injuries, which means that Luuk de Jong is currently the only natural striker in the squad.
However, De Jong is anything but a Barcelona type of a striker and Xavi has been forced to promote B team forward Ferran Jutgla, who has started up front in the last two games and opened the scoring against Elche last weekend.
Meanwhile, Memphis Depay has shone intermittently since his summer move and, while he will likely be a first choice in time, time is not something Xavi can wait too long for as he bids for a leading striker’s signature.
His time in the famous Barcelona shirt may only have been brief but the task of replacing Aguero is akin to replacing a seasoned starter.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
