Mario Balotelli has revealed he did not come away from Sergio Aguero's first Manchester City training session with good impressions of the Argentine's effort and application.
The two forwards both played crucial roles in City's historic 2011/12 Premier League title win and were reminiscing on that memorable season and its unforgettable conclusion together on Aguero's Twitch stream. While the recently retired former City striker went on to achieve legendary status at the Etihad, Aguero's first training session left Balotelli with more questions than answers.
"The first time, when you arrived at City, you did one or two training sessions before the game," the ex-Italy international recalled. "I looked at you in training and you don't do anything in training. You walk, you don't run, 'who did they buy?'
Any doubts Balotelli may have had over City's 2011 purchase from Atletico Madrid were swiftly quashed once Aguero made his debut for the club. The striker netted a brace during his first outing in front of the Etihad faithful, including a stunning long-range effort that helped put Swansea to the sword.
Balotelli conceded he could barely believe what he had witnessed once then-manager Roberto Mancini brought Aguero on as a half-time substitute. "In the second half, you enter, one minute in you scored a goal from 30 metres! Fénonemo!"
Aguero could barely contain his laughter as Balotelli continued to express his shock, before the former Marseille man told the City icon: "You surprised me a lot." The two enjoyed contrasting legacies at the club.
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Balotelli spent just three seasons in Manchester, during which time he netted 30 goals across all competitions but failed to shake off unwanted attention away from the pitch. The forward was once disciplined for setting off fireworks inside his own bathroom on the eve of a fixture.
In comparison, Aguero went on to become the club's record goal-scorer with 257 strikes to his name in a decade-long City stint. The Argentine is widely regarded as one of the most lethal finishers to grace the Premier League.
However, Aguero's illustrious playing career did not get the kind of fairytale ending it deserved. Instead, the striker was forced into an early retirement once he was diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia just months into his stay with Barcelona after complaining of breathing difficulties during a La Liga game last October.
There has already been speculation that Aguero could look to move into a coaching role at some capacity - either with City or the Argentina national side. That is not on the cards for the immediate future however, as the former Premier League goal-getter conceded he'll be cheering on La Albiceleste in Qatar "as a fan."
