Sergio Aguero still feels a lot of positive emotions towards Atletico Madrid, despite declaring his intention to leave the club in order to seal his 2011 move to Manchester City.
The Argentine was one of the hottest prospects in European football at the time, and he spoke out publicly in order to force his exit through.
“There were other offers and I was at the 2011 Copa America,” Aguero said to Ibai Llanos.
“I made the decision after the Copa and I had to return to Atletico to train, but I had already said that I wanted to go.
“Publicly saying that I wanted to leave was a mistake. The [Estadio Vicente] Calderon was incredible, a fantastic place.”
Aguero followed compatriots Pablo Zabaleta and Carlos Tevez to City, and there were other Spanish speakers at the club as well.
“Zabaleta and Tevez were already at the club,” Aguero said. “He [Tevez] couldn’t even say help in English.
“David Silva and even Balotelli spoke Spanish. Balotelli had raw talent, but he was a little hot-headed and sometimes in football that makes you do the wrong thing.”
Pep Guardiola’s arrival in Manchester looked to spell the end of Aguero’s time at the club, but he has established himself as a key player for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.
“He’s very attentive to details,” Aguero added.
“I’ve improved a lot with him, and a lot of Premier League teams have tried to copy his style.
“They all want to play from the back. He’s very good.”