As they arrived at the Etihad Stadium for their side’s Premier League game against Arsenal, Manchester City fans were treated to their first glimpse of a project 18 months in the making.
Forged from galvanised steel and standing five metres tall, the statues of City legends Vincent Kompany and David Siva are a sight to behold.
Scottish artist Andy Scott is the man behind the sculptures – but he now has another commission.
Having impressed the club with the likeness of the city duo, Scott will soon start work on a statue of another City hero; club-record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.
Deciding which pose a football statue should take is a crucial decision, because everyone associated with the club wants their hero immortalized in a certain way. The decision will no doubt have already been made by now, but here are a few ideas of how Aguero’s statue could look…
Agueroooooo
Forget the 259 other goals he scored for City, Aguero’s strike against Queens Park Rangers that clinched the Premier League title was in itself deserving of a statue.
The Argentine surged forward, battling to get on the end of Mario Balotelli’s lay-off, building up enough power to then cannon the ball into the goal – absolute poetry in motion.
(Image: Getty)
It’s one of the most ferociously struck shots ever seen at the Etihad and a steel recreation of the exact moment Aguero connected with the ball would make for an unbelievable statue.
Bedlam
There is, of course, another obvious choice for a 93:20 statue.
The celebrations that followed that famous goal were like nothing anyone had ever witnessed before and they will probably never be repeated.
People were hugging and kissing, families were shaking each other in delirium, Roberto Mancini was going bonkers on the touchline and, in the midst of it all, Aguero was waving his shirt above his head and charging all over the pitch.
(Image: Ed Garvey/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
The moments and memories created in that scene of mass celebration are cherished by City fans, probably even more so than the goal itself.
European nights
As most fans will remember, City struggled to really find their feet in their first few Champions League outings.
The Blues experienced some chastening nights against some of European football’s powerhouses including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, and in 2014/15 things looked to be going the same way.
City had struggled in the group stage and so when Pep Guardiola’s Bayern visited the Etihad in November 2014, Manuel Pellegrini’s side were in desperate need of points.
2-1 down and with time running out, Aguero popped up with a coolly taken equaliser to offer City hope, and with just seconds remaining he managed to win back possession before slotting the ball beyond Manuel Neuer to hand his side an incredible 3-2 win.
Sheer genius
It was 2012/13 and things weren’t going well for the defending Premier League champions.
Manchester United were racing ahead in the title race as reports started to circulate of squad unrest in the City camp. Mancini’s side needed a moment of inspiration on the pitch to kickstart their season and you can probably guess who provided it.
Everyone in the Etihad Stadium thought the chance was gone – everyone except Aguero.
At the right-hand-side of the penalty area from a near-impossible angle, the Argentinian striker somehow clipped the ball back towards goal, losing his balance and sitting on the ground as he watched it somehow sail into the back of the net.
Every single person in the crowd was stunned by what had just happened, and Aguero almost looked as surprised as anyone.
Fan Brands – Man City
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That image of Aguero sat on his backside, arms outstretched in celebration as though to say ‘have I really just done that?’ would make a truly unique statue.
It’s almost as though even he doesn’t realise just how brilliant he is at times, and whichever pose City chose to honour the club’s all-time record goalscorer, we’re sure it’ll look absolutely incredible.
Which pose do you think City should use for Aguero’s statue? Follow our new City Fan Brands Writer Alex Brotherton on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
