Argentina will be hoping to retain the Copa America title in the United States this summer, led by the talismanic Lionel Messi
Sergio Agüero welcomes Messi and Argentina to Miami for the Copa America(Image credit: Stake.com / Press Box PR)
Argentina have arrived in Miami for this year’s Copa America to a strange welcome: Sergio Aguero will be waiting for them with a herd of goats.
Well, allegedly, anyway. There’s certainly photos of the Manchester City icon with some goats, though there’s no other Argentinian players to be found. The whole thing is of course a publicity stunt, arranged by gambling company Stake.com.
The whole thing is a play on the term ‘GOAT’, an acronym for ‘Greatest Of All Time’, which Stake wisely precede with ‘one of the’ when talking about Aguero given he played alongside the superior Lionel Messi.
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Aguero said: “I’ve played with the GOAT, and it was great to spend the day with some more of his kind! If Argentina can win Copa America, then they can cement their legacy as one of the Greatest Teams of All Time."
Argentina will be looking to defend their Copa America crown having won the tournament in 2021, with Angel Di Maria scoring the only goal of the game in the final against Brazil. They will kick off this year’s campaign by facing Canada, Chile and Peru in the group stage.
On his country’s prospects, Aguero said: “Argentina is always a candidate... but, pressure? I don't think so. I think we're used to this. Now, it's about preserving the style and team concept we've developed. We won what we've won because of this.
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Sergio Aguero played with Messi 90 times (Image credit: PA)
“The players that were part of that process should pass it on to the newcomers. It's great that it happens naturally. The national squad is richer for all the new talent, and they'll keep growing because of this.”
Now plying his trade for Inter Miami, Messi will be in familiar surroundings at Argentina’s Florida base, which Argentina also used to warm up for a pre-World Cup friendly in 2022 before going on to win the tournament. Hey, why change a winning formula?
Aguero added: “There's a big expat community in Miami of Argentinians, and many other Latin Americans who support our side.
“With Leo playing [for] the local Inter [Miami], that sentiment grows even more. But there are a lot of Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans too.
“We can say that Miami is likely the place with the most people rooting for different teams of Copa America at least.”
Aguero retired in 2021 shortly after leaving City and having a half-season spell at Barcelona that was curtailed after he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia that led doctors to advise him to hang up his boots.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
