What happened to Sergio Aguero?

The last time Argentina and France faced each other in a World Cup, Sergio Aguero scored a goal in that game, though it counted for little as La Albiceleste lost 4-3 and were eliminated from the World Cup.

The sides face off once again, this time in the final, yet Aguero won’t be there this time.

And it’s not because he isn’t good enough — there is a good chance he would have been in the squad even as a reserve — but because he was forced to retire in 2021 when he was diagnosed with a heart condition.

That hasn’t stopped him from being in the headlines for both his fervent support of his country at this World Cup as well as his post-football career.

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What happened to Sergio Aguero?

Sergio Aguero had just joined Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer of 2021, after a 10-season spell at Manchester City where he won a plethora of trophies and broke the club-scoring record.

In his fifth game for the club against Alaves, he complained of experiencing chest discomfort, was substituted and later taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

However, to his surprise he was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia, which is an irregularity in the heartbeat. 

He initially took a leave of absence for three months to have medical treatment to try and solve the issue, however it soon became clear that the condition would mean he would no longer be able to play football due to the risk to his health, and in December 2021, he announced his retirement in an emotional press conference.

Why did Sergio Aguero retire?

Despite hopes that he would able to continue playing, on the advice of his doctors he made the decision to retire immediately.

Aguero’s doctor Roberto Peidro said in an interview with an Argentine radio station that Aguero had a very small scar from a procedure designed to stop the irregular heartbeat, and that it should reduce the chances of irregular heartbeat in day-to-day life.

However, Peidro also told Aguero that he needed to limit high-performance activities that require lots of mental and physical stress in the way that playing football does, which ultimately forced Aguero to make the difficult decision to end his career.

Sergio Aguero career club and country

Aguero scored 385 goals for four different clubs, and became one of Manchester City’s most important players in their rise to the top of European football — on his departure from Manchester he was called a club legend by Pep Guardiola.

Before that he impressed at Atletico Madrid, where he won the Europa League in 2010 in a season where he scored 27 goals in 41 games.

He also enjoyed a storied career for Argentina, netting 41 goals in 101 games, playing in three World Cups between 2010 and 2018. He scored two goals at 12 World Cup matches (both in the 2018 tournament) and he also played in the 2014 World Cup final that Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany, though he came off the pitch in the 74th minute and missed extra time where Germany scored their winner.

Overall, Aguero won 15 major trophies for club and country, including being part of the Argentina side that won the Copa America in 2021.

Sergio Aguero turns Twitch star

Since retirement, Sergio Aguero’s career has taken an interesting turn, with the former striker now becoming somewhat of a celebrity on online streaming platform Twitch.

Having become involved on Twitch during the COVID-19 lockdowns, his streams quickly gained a massive following, reaching a million followers soon after joining. He would stream himself playing popular video games, but it has also gained a notable following during the World Cup.

This was particularly true when Aguero was able to get Messi to appear on his live stream on December 8.

The footage showed Messi at the team hotel, and also featured many of Messi’s teammates in the squad and some of the coaching staff.

Sergio Aguero in Qatar

Despite not playing anymore, Aguero has still travelled to Qatar to support his country and his former teammates, with much of his journey being seen on social media.

He firstly shared his discomfort in being stuck on a flight with many singing Brazilian fans before the tournament, and his role with the squad has increased throughout the tournament.

He was seen being a surprise visitor to team training ahead of the semifinal against Croatia, and there was footage of him celebrating with the team after their 3-0 victory. He has also been invited to stay with the team ahead of the final on Sunday.

He also was seen defending Messi in the aftermath of the side’s fiery quarterfinal win over the Dutch, as he was seen confronting Wout Weghorst after he and Messi had exchanged words in the changing rooms; Aguero was reported to have told Weghorst to ‘shut up’.