10 World Class Players Who Refused to Train to Force a Transfer

#7 Sergio Aguero: Atletico Madrid to Manchester City

Sergio Aguero looked to seal a move to the Premier League in 2011

Sergio Aguero was a talent any club in the world would have paid top money for. The striker made a name for himself in Europe after he moved to Atletico Madrid and scored 101 goals in four seasons.

By the end of the 2010/11 season, though, Aguero was aching for a move to a bigger club. The Rojiblancos had a decent team but were nowhere near the trophy-winning calibre they are at today.

In May 2011, Aguero officially stated his desire to leave. The Argentine striker announced his decision on his own website.

“I said long ago that when I wanted to go, I would say so publicly. And the time has come. So I keep to my word and here I am. I find it hard to leave Atletico. It hurts and saddens me." - Sergio Aguero in 2011

The striker remained in Argentina that summer and did not report for pre-season training. Many Atletico fans thought he was going to seal a move to arch-rivals Real Madrid but Atletico dealt with Manchester City and eventually sealed a deal worth £38m.

Aguero scored his 200th goal for City in the 2018 Community Shield

While Atletico reinvested that money in Radamel Falcao, Aguero went on to help City win their first Premier League title with a winner in stoppage time on the final day of the season.

He has since won three league titles and is now the club's official top goalscorer with 201 goals (prior to the 2018/19 season).