Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had played a key role in signing Sergio Agüero from Atlético Madrid in 2011.
Two days ago, the Premier League confirmed that an independent commission found the Citizens guilty of ‘all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules’ for nine seasons between 2009-18.
Agüero moved to Manchester City during the same period, after impressing for the La Liga side.
The Argentine spent three years at Club Atlético Independiente, after graduating from their academy. He moved to Europe for the first time when Atlético signed him in 2006.
Agüero starred for Los Rojiblancos, scoring 101 goals and contributing 48 assists from 234 matches.
Manchester City secured discount
His impressive displays for the Madrid club caught the attention of a few top clubs, including Real Madrid.
Mundo Deportivo now share insight on how Khaldoon Al Mubarak capitalised on the situation.
At that time, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez offered €45m to Atlético Madrid for Sergio Agüero. He had given his approval to Los Blancos, but the move never took shape.
In the end, Atlético sold the South American to Manchester City for €36m plus €4m bonuses.
| Sergio Agüero — trophies with Manchester City | Winning seasons or year | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 2011/12, 2013/14, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21 | 5 |
| League Cup | 2013/14, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 | 6 |
| FA Cup | 2018/19 | 1 |
| Community Shield | 2012, 2018, 2019 | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
No financial regulation breach for signing
While the Premier League have now charged the Etihad club for breaching their financial regulations, the Sergio Agüero operation doesn’t come under this.
The newspaper explains the ‘real reason’ why the Spanish club sold him to Manchester City for a lower price.
Atlético Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín ‘decided to sabotage the deal’ with Real Madrid in order to avoid a backlash from their own supporters.
Gil Marín looked for another buyer for the former star and made a trip to the US. He had a meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who was with then Manchester City sporting director, Brian Marwood.
Mundo states: ‘The deal was set in motion at that meeting in a restaurant. Lacking official documents, a piece of tablecloth was used to draft the preliminary agreement.’
Agüero spent a decade at Manchester City, managing 260 goals and 55 assists from 390 matches. He won every domestic trophy with the Citizens.
In 2021, the South American left them as a free agent to join Barcelona, before ending his playing career later that year.
There’s likely to be more reports on Manchester City’s dealings between 2009 and 2018, after the guilty verdict. Rúben Dias refused to comment yesterday when asked about it.
