Sergio Aguero has been immortalised with a huge steel statue at Manchester City’s home ground.
The sculpture joins statues of Vincent Kompany and David Silva on the east side of the Etihad Stadium, ‘commemorating a defining era’ for the club.
The legendary footballer paid a visit to see his likeness unveiled this morning, which happens to be the tenth anniversary of City’s first Premier League title.
The sculpture, created by celebrated artist Andy Scott, has been constructed to commemorate the ’93:20′ moment, where Aguero scored the goal that secured the club’s first league title in 44 years – arguably the greatest moment in sporting history.
The Sergio Aguero statue at the Etihad Stadium. Credit: Supplied
The Argentine scored 260 goals for Manchester City in the decade he played for the club.
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He has also recently been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Pieces of the artwork were welded together in the dead of night ahead of the grand reveal this morning.
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The sculpture is made up of thousands of pieces of galvanised steel and is lit up with blue lighting.
The Sergio Aguero statue joins sculptures of Kompany and Silva. Credit: Supplied
Commenting on the statue of Sergio Aguero following its installation at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “Sergio Aguero’s contribution to Manchester City in a defining era for the Club cannot be overstated. He is without doubt one of the greatest players that has ever played the game.
“When our fans think of Sergio, they are immediately drawn to the iconic moment of 93:20 and the goal that secured the Club’s first league title in 44 years, but as his record of 260 goals for the Club demonstrates, his legacy and impact at Manchester City go far beyond that.
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The Sergio Aguero statue at the Etihad Stadium. Credit: Supplied
“It is only fitting that Sergio has been recognised with a statue of his own, in celebration and honour of his accomplishments in one of the most important chapters of Manchester City’s rich and long history.”
Reflecting on his statue, Sergio Aguero said: “Truthfully, it is a very beautiful thing for me, to see myself 10 years ago is very moving.
“In those 10 years I was able to win a lot of trophies and was able to help the Club become one of the most important in the world.
“I am very grateful to the Club for making this statue in recognition of my football career in Manchester. It is something very special.”
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Sculptor Andy Scott added: “t has been an honour to work on a project that means so much to Manchester City fans around the world in celebration of such an important player in the life of this football club.
“I was under no illusions about how important this was to the Club, to the fans, to Sergio himself and I hope that this statue brings joy and happiness to all who see it.”
Featured image: Supplied
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.