Chelsea want Sergio Aguero? 10 things you need to know about Atletico Madrid's Argentine ace

By Ian Cruise in Football Spy

Published 20:00 05/11/09

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Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero is one of the most coveted strikers in Europe, with Chelsea the latest suitors after Roman Abramovich was impressed with him during the club's recent Champions League clashes.

But what do we know about the man known as 'Kun'? Dan Silver is on hand to tell us...

1) Sergio Leonel Aguero del Castillo was born on June 2m, 1988 in Quilmes, Argentina.

2) He's commonly known by his childhood nickname 'Kun', given to Aguero by his grandparents on account of his resemblance to this 70s Japanese cartoon character Kum Kum .

3) He started his footballing career at Argentine side Independeinte, and broke Diego Maradaona's record for being the youngest player ever to play in the country's top-flight when making his debut against San Lorenzo aged just 15 years and 35 days. "I was a lot younger and smaller than most of the players, so I had to learn how to avoid and dodge aggressive tackles," remembers Aguero of the experience.

4) His impressive return of 23 goals in 53 league appearances for Independiente attracted the attention of Europe's top scouts, and Aguero was eventually signed by Atletico Madrid in May 2006 for £20m - the club's record transfer fee.

5) He made his La Liga debut for Atletico against Racing Santander on August 27, 2006 and scored his first league goal for the club against Bilbao the following month. Despite going on to make 38 appearances that season, Aguero struggled to shine while playing in the shadow of Atletico's star striker Fernando Torres, and only scored five more goals.

6) He showed his true form following Torres' departure to Liverpool, however, forming a lethal partnership with his replacement, former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan, and finishing the 2007/08 as La Liga's third highest goalscorer with 19 goals. Bolton fans may also remember him for being red-carded in their UEFA Cup meeting at the Reebok Stadium.

7) He's won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup twice with Argentina, first in 2005, when he played alongside Lionel Messi, and then again in 2007, when he captained the side and scored in the final. Aguero also took home the Golden Boot for being the tournament's top scorer with six goals.

8) He made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly against at Arsenal's Emirates stadium in September 2006. He's since won a total of 20 caps and scored seven goals, including two in Argentina's 2008 Olympics semi-final win over Brazil.

9) Aguero's fiancee is Giannini Maradona, the daughter of Argentina's national coach and all-round legend, Diego. The couple's first child, Benjamin, was born in February this year.

10) He has a tattoo on the inside of his right arm, inscribed in Tengwar (a form of writing invented by JRR Tolkien and used by the Elves in his books). It roughly translates to 'Kun Aguero' in the Latin alphabet.