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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Colin Millar

Sergio Aguero names five best defenders he faced as Virgil van Dijk beaten to top spot

Sergio Aguero has named the five strongest central defenders that he came up against during his career.

The Argentine striker has been reflecting upon his playing days having been forced into retiring from football early this season due to health reasons.

It came after the striker suffered a heart scare while playing for Barcelona in October – meaning that his career at the Camp Nou was cut short.

The 33-year-old striker joined Barca from Man City in the summer, but only made five appearances for his new club.

During 10 years with City he scored 260 goals in 390 games to become the club’s record goal scorer, winning five Premier League titles, as well the FA Cup and six League Cups.

Have Your Say! Who has been the best central defender in the Premier League era? Tell us what you think here.

Van Dijk and Aguero went head-to-head multiple times in the Premier League and in Europe (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)

Aguero scored 184 goals in 275 Premier League appearances to finish his career as the league’s fourth-highest scorer.

The Argentine was tearful when he announced his retirement from the game during a press conference on December 15 – a month and a half after he was forced from the pitch due to breathing problems during a league draw against Alaves.

The former striker has now been speaking about his decade-long career at City – alongside his stints with Atletico Madrid and Barca - and the toughest defenders he faced during his trophy-filled time in Manchester.

Aguero was holding a questions and answers session on Twitter, when he replied to a question asking who his five toughest defensive opponents were in his career.

The striker named three iconic Premier League defenders – John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Virgil van Dijk – alongside two legends of La Liga; Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos.

Aguero faced Puyol and Ramos during his stint at Atleti prior to his switch to the Premier League.

His choices are perhaps unsurprising, with former Chelsea captain Terry, Liverpool defensive colossus van Dijk and Manchester United legend Ferdinand all renowned as being among the best in the position.

Aguero was also asked to choose who was the best ever defender, but he overlooked Liverpool’s Van Dijk for that title.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 31: Sergio Aguero speaks during a press conference as he is presented as a Barcelona player at the Camp Nou Stadium on May 31, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Instead, the Argentine selected Terry – whom he faced on multiple occasions over the course of six years when he was captain at Stamford Bridge for the Blues.

Aguero initially faced van Dijk when the Dutch international was at Southampton and then subsequently during his time at Anfield.

The two players were direct opponents in title race after van Dijk’s switch to Liverpool in 2018 including most memorably in the 2018/19 campaign.

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