“Wherever I go, people talk about it,” said Malaysia international Sergio Aguero. The 30-year-old striker is, of course, referring to how he coincidentally shares a name with the former Argentina and Manchester City superstar.

Both men were born in Argentina and have led the line for their respective teams’ attacks. Where they differ, though, is in their career paths, with one having worked his way up to the very top of the game to become a global star, and the other still striving to make his mark in Asia with his Malaysian club and their national team.

Sergio Fabian Ezequiel Aguero, a naturalised Malaysian international born in La Rioja, Argentina, admits there is frequent ribbing from fans.

“It happens all the time with people joking with me about my namesake,” Aguero told FIFA.

As a youngster growing up in Argentina, Aguero discovered his passion for football by admiring and drawing inspiration from two of the country’s biggest stars.

“My two biggest idols, role models and sources of inspiration are Juan Roman Riquelme and Lionel Messi. I’m constantly studying their playing styles and trying to imitate all their moves. But it’s definitely not easy, because we’re talking about two giants of the game,” he said with a laugh.

Aguero’s journey has certainly been unique. After playing youth football in his homeland with River Plate and All Boys, he signed his first professional contract in 2015 with Hungarian club Tatabanyai. He lasted just one season in Eastern Europe until fate took him halfway around the world to Malaysia, the country he now calls home and was proud to become a citizen of in 2022.

“I’ve been living and playing in Malaysia for almost eight years, and my wife and I have two children who were born here,” said the Sri Pahang player.

“We’re happy here and love Malaysia and its people. So when the opportunity arose to become a Malaysian citizen and represent the national team, it was a dream come true and a very easy decision to make.

“It’s wonderful to represent the country I love. Every time I get a call-up, it is a dream come true and I can’t explain the happiness that comes with it. I’ll always be delighted to wear the Malaysian jersey and will give my all for this country.”

Aguero’s debut for Harimau Malaya – a friendly against Cambodia on 9 December 2022 – was an emotional moment for the player, as was his first goal for his country just 15 days later in an AFF Championship game against Laos.

The adventure continued into the second round of AFC qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™, where Malaysia were drawn into Group D. Despite acquitting themselves admirably, the country narrowly missed out on a place in the next round after finishing third, a point behind runners-up Kyrgyz Republic and three behind group winners Oman.

“It was a great experience for the team to discover our current level and to identify what we need to improve in the future,” said Aguero.

“We had an excellent campaign. Some teams [from the other groups] managed to progress with just seven or eight points, so we were unfortunate not to do the same with ten points. Still, our performance showed that we have progressed a lot and have good potential.”

While the dream of being part of the next World Cup is now over, the increase to 48 in the number of participants has undoubtedly created more opportunities in editions to come for countries like Malaysia who have never or rarely appeared on the world stage. Aguero is optimistic about the future and believes this change will have a positive impact.

“Certainly this [format change] is a great thing for developing countries,” he said. “It opens up additional avenues and possibilities for countries that have never qualified for the World Cup, and it is all thanks to FIFA for giving countries whose football is still developing more opportunities.”

Now 30, Aguero hopes that his drive and experience will continue to help the development of football in Malaysia.

“I have benefitted from playing in Argentina, Italy, Hungary and Malaysia. Hopefully in the future I can help this country to develop its football with the experience I’ve gained from players, coaches and staff with their own World Cup experience. In addition, I’m also pursuing my coaching licences in Malaysia and Argentina to prepare for the future,” revealed Aguero.

The forward has always had a long-term plan and would love to fulfil his dream of seeing Malaysia reach new heights and make history.

“My short-term goal is to help Sri Pahang grow and win some trophies for the club. My long-term goal is to help Malaysian football move up the FIFA Rankings, and my big dream is obviously to see Malaysia win the Asian Cup and also qualify for the World Cup,” he concluded.