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END OF AN ERA: Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has announced he will leave the team at the end of this season. AFP Photo

Paul Kennedy

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Benjamin Aguero. He is the 12-year-old son of Manchester City striker Sergio.

If poor Benjamin in later life decides he wants to become a professional footballer, he sure has some big boots to fill.

His dad is one of the best footballers ever to grace the Premier League and his granddad is none other than the late, great Diego Maradona, who for me is the best footballer to ever play the game.

And if that’s not tough enough for Benjamin, his godfather is Lionel Messi. Sorry kid, but maybe accountancy might be a better profession to choose.

This week his father announced he will leave Manchester City after 10 years at the club. And what a 10 years it has been.

It was of course Sergio’s late winner against Queens Park Rangers back in 2012 that clinched City their first-ever Premier League title.

That goal was enough to cement his name into City folklore for eternity. City have announced they will build a statue of their striker after he leaves, a fitting tribute to the Argentinian footballing genius.

But what next for Sergio?

Back in the day, when footballers retired, the options were limited, to say the least. Back in the 1980s, those who didn’t pursue a career in coaching tended to open a pub.

Occasionally some would end up on television offering their not so beautiful opinions on the beautiful game.

Nowadays there are far more lucrative alternatives for ex-pros other than pulling pints.

Sergio may not be able to repeat his outstanding form of the last 10 years in the Premier League next season, but he could certainly do a job in the US, where I’m sure there will be no shortage of offers.

Steven Gerrard pocketed a few dollars playing for LA Galaxy for a season after leaving Liverpool, as did Wayne Rooney when he signed for DC United. Ashley Cole and Robbie Keane also ended their careers in America.

David Beckham, another former footballer who plied his trade State-side later in his career, owns MLS new boys Inter Miami who, aside from former Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross, don’t really have any big names in their team.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Beckham and Inter manager Phil Neville are already making plans to offer Aguero a final soiree.

From a personal point of view, I was always a little disappointed Aguero chose Manchester City over Liverpool when he moved to the Premier League. There are rumours he is a Liverpool fan.

But to be fair, 10 years ago his decision to sign for City was the right one.

There’s no doubt Pep Guardiola is already plotting a replacement for the outgoing Argentinian and one name that is being mentioned is Erling Haaland, the Norwegian currently scoring goals for fun in Germany.

It is also quite fitting that he is the son of Alf-Inge Haaland, but unlike poor Benjamin Aguero, in this case, the lad is a far better player than the dad. VNS

Iheanacho scored five goals in three games last month, including a hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United, as Leicester maintained their grip on third place and Champions League qualification.

* Italian teen Jannik Sinner advanced to the Miami Open final on Friday, rallying past Spanish seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the biggest championship match of his young career. Sinner, who reached last year’s French Open quarter-finals, defeated Bautista 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 after two hours and 28 minutes to become only the fourth teen to reach the men’s final in the 36-year history of the ATP Masters 1000 hardcourt event.

* World number one Ash Barty and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu completed contrasting semi-final victories in the Miami Open, setting up a mouth-watering first career meeting between the Grand Slam winners in Saturday’s (Apr 3) final.

* Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco helped Ducati dominate free practice at the Grand Prix of Doha on Friday (Apr 2). Australian Miller, on a factory Ducati, chalked up a time of 1 minute 53.145 seconds during the most optimum conditions in the second session under the Losail circuit floodlights.

* Serie A said on Friday it has awarded sports marketing agency Infront the management of most of its international broadcasting rights for the next three seasons in a deal worth EUR417 million (US$490.39 million). Owned by China’s Wanda Sport Group, Infront will manage Serie A’s global media rights for all platforms, excluding the United States, the Middle East and North Africa regions.

* Preston North End midfielder Brad Potts scored deep into added time to help his side hold Championship leaders Norwich City to a 1-1 draw on Friday while second-placed Watford overcame Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 to reduce the gap at the top.

* Manchester City are unlikely to prioritise the signing of a new striker for next season despite all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero leaving the Premier League club at the end of the campaign, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. Aguero, who has netted 257 goals in 384 appearances and won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five League Cups at the club, is set to leave when his contract expires.

* Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte has welcomed back a group of players who had recently contracted COVID-19 and said he needs all his squad available to keep the Serie A leaders on course for the title. Inter were hit with a COVID-19 outbreak three weeks ago that meant their final league match before the international break, against Sassuolo, was postponed.

* Manchester United are hopeful fit-again forwards Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood can feature in Sunday’s (Apr 4) Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion but doubts remain over Frenchman Anthony Martial, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday.

* Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday (Apr 2) that forward Son Heung-min is back from injury ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle United, but he steered clear of speculation on Harry Kane’s future at the club.

* The captain’s armband that Cristiano Ronaldo flung to the ground in disgust after Portugal were denied an injury-time winner against Serbia was sold at a charity auction for EUR64,000 (US$75,000) to an anonymous bidder.

Real Madrid’s French defender Ferland Mendy (R) challenges Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah during the UEFA Champions League first leg quarter-final football match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas in the outskirts of Madrid on April 6, 2021.(GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

At the bottom, Fulham have a chance to lift themselves out of the relegation zone while Manchester United will seek revenge at Tottenham after their 6-1 humiliation earlier this season.

AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend action in the English top-flight.

Can Liverpool stop Anfield rot?

When Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield in mid-December it appeared to be business as usual for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

But little did they know that they would reach April with no further wins on their home turf and a paltry two goals to show for their efforts.

The Premier League champions take on mid-table Aston Villa on Saturday with a chance to clamber back into the top four, at least temporarily.

Liverpool suffered a chastening 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in midweek but results in the Premier League last weekend went in their favour.

Klopp described their 3-0 win at sorry Arsenal as a “very important statement” but his side must rediscover the winning formula at home after six successive defeats in the league.

Lingard leads charge for hungry West Ham

Jesse Lingard is a revitalised player since joining West Ham on loan from Manchester United, where he had become a forgotten man.

The England midfielder flourished in the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign at Old Trafford but became an increasingly peripheral figure as Bruno Fernandes assumed the main creative role.

But the 28-year-old has made up for lost time since arriving at the London Stadium in January, scoring six goals in eight Premier League matches.

He has also won back his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

West Ham, who host Leicester on Sunday, are fourth in the Premier League table, one point clear of Chelsea with eight games remaining.

Lingard, who scored a spectacular goal and played a part in the other two in Monday’s 3-2 win against Wolves, has urged his team-mates to stay level-headed.

“We need to maintain our focus in each game,” he said. “We’ve got a tough run of fixtures but the lads are ready and we’ll prepare for the next game.”

Newcastle fight to stay clear of drop zone

Newcastle, who have been flirting with the relegation places, could find themselves in the bottom three by the time they kick off on Sunday if Fulham beat Wolves.

Steve Bruce’s side have won just two of their past 21 games in all competitions but the manager has dismissed suggestions of a split in the camp.

“That is the big thing that frustrates us all, a so-called mole in the dressing room, certain players unhappy, blah, blah, blah, the spirit is not good, this nonsense,” he said.

The Magpies can take some confidence ahead of the game against Burnley from last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

Fulham themselves have not taken advantage of Newcastle’s struggles but would climb above them on goal difference if they beat Wolves on Friday.

Manager Scott Parker said his team would “fight and scrap” to stay in the division.

Bottom-placed Sheffield United appear doomed but there is a flicker of hope at 19th-placed West Brom, who hammered 10-man Chelsea 5-2 last week.

Fixtures (GMT)

Friday

Fulham v Wolves (1900)

Saturday

Manchester City v Leeds (1130), Liverpool v Aston Villa (1400), Crystal Palace v Chelsea (1630)

Sunday

Burnley v Newcastle (1100), West Ham v Leicester (1305), Tottenham v Manchester United (1530), Sheffield United v Arsenal (1800)

Monday

West Brom v Southampton (1700), Brighton v Everton (1915)

AFP

Leaders in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Binh Phuoc on Thursday agreed on the construction of a VND36 trillion (US$1.5 billion) expressway linking the two localities.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh Expressway will stretch 70 kilometers from Chon Thanh District in Binh Phuoc Province to Go Dua Intersection in Ho Chi Minh City.

The route will also run through Thu Dau Mot City in Binh Duong Province.

The investment capital is estimated at VND36 trillion ($1.5 billion), of which 47 percent is expected to be funded by the state budget.

The expressway will consist of three main sections.

The first section stretches 1.5 kilometers in Ho Chi Minh City, costing approximately VND3 trillion ($130 million).

The second section spans 57 kilometers in Binh Duong Province, including 28 kilometers of elevated roads and 10 overpasses, which will cost VND30 trillion ($1.29 billion).

The third section is about 11.5 kilometers in Binh Phuoc Province, costing VND3 trillion ($130 million). This section will be designed with six lanes to facilitate the connection with the Dak Nong – Chon Thanh Expressway.

During a working session in January, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned Binh Phuoc People’s Committee to coordinate with relevant units to work on capital arrangement and construction format of the project.

The premier also requested the Ministry of Planning and Investment and related sides to map out a plan on channeling state budget into the implementation of the project.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Binh Phuoc will also submit their proposals regarding the construction of the expressway.

Once approved, the expressway is expected to be built within the 2021-30 period under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) form.

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