Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has revealed all on his FA Cup experiences, as well as his former club’s chances in the competition and winning the treble this season.
The Argentine won the prestigious competition with City in 2019 by beating Watford 6-0 in the final and has now opened up about his time playing in the tournament ahead of the fifth round this week.
Writing for Stake.com, Aguero confirmed that playing in the FA Cup was one of the highlights of his illustrious career.
“The FA Cup was always one of my favourite competitions to play in because of its history and because of the many famous players and teams to have won it,” he explained.
“When I was living in Spain and here in Argentina, everyone knew about the competition and its history.”
The former striker’s first experience of an FA Cup final came against then-Premier League side Wigan Athletic in 2013.
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The game had been locked at 0-0 until the Latics won a corner in the final minutes of the tie, with Ben Watson on hand to turn in the goal through a header at the far post, sealing the win and breaking City fans’ hearts.
Fast forward nine years and Aguero still recalls the disappointment of losing out to a side that was later relegated as he recalled the fantastic team they had.
“It was hard for us because we had a very good team, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta all started that game.
“But we were all very new to the club and it was only the start of our journey. I think we did okay in the end!”
The 33-year-old had a second shot at an FA Cup final six years later, and said sealing the win at Wembley cemented his view on just how ‘special’ the competition is.
“We were back at Wembley for my second FA Cup final in 2019 and that day went much better for us when we beat Watford. We were so happy to win it and to be a part of FA Cup history was a very proud moment for me.
“The tradition of the FA Cup is one of my favourite things about the competition, it was fun to meet Prince William to get my medal after the game and the celebrations with the fans afterwards was so special.”
He continued: “Everyone says that the FA Cup is magical and it is true, it was always really fun to play in and you felt proud to represent your team in the competition.
“The day we played in the FA Cup was always special because there was so much excitement in the team and the fans were always extra happy to see us play well.”
Manchester City play Championship side Peterborough United in the fifth round of the cup, and The Posh will be looking to cause an upset against Pep Guardiola’s side.
However, whilst Aguero has learnt first hand about the FA Cup’s ability to provide shock results, he believes his former side has the ability to go all the way in the tournament.
Not only that, but he thinks City, who remain at the top of the Premier League, can go on to win the treble, too.
“At Manchester City, we wanted to win everything, every match and every trophy, and that will always be the case at the club now,” he said.
“I think Manchester City are in a great place to win the Premier League again, they also have a good chance in the FA Cup and in the Champions League too.
“This might be competitive, but I think it is possible that they win all three. Winning a treble like this would be a huge achievement and they have a team and manager that can do it this season.”
talkSPORT has exclusive coverage of the match at the Weston Homes Stadium which will kick-off at 7:15pm on Tuesday 1 March
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