Sergio Agüero Lessens Rift That Father-in-Law, Maradona, Created EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - They are fitting bookends to the long and often tortured soccer (and geopolitical) history between Argentina and England - the Hand of God and the Foot of Kun. The hand belongs, of course, to Diego Maradona, who (with apologies) single-handedly defeated England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico on the way to the title. The foot is attached to the right leg of Sergio Agüero, whose nickname, Kun, is derived from a Japanese anime cartoon and who scored the goal last month that gave Manchester City its first top-flight title in England in 44 years. Another link, besides the world-class proficiency in soccer, is Maradona's youngest daughter, Giannina, who is married to Agüero, which makes Maradona his father-in-law and grandfather to the couple's 3-year-old son, Benjamin. "In England, they are very disrespectful of him," Agüero said through an interpreter Friday, referring to Maradona, the day before the Argentine national team was to face its South American rival Brazil in an international friendly at a sold-out MetLife Stadium. We don't talk too much about the game. I see him as an idol. When we're together, we talk about family and my son. Yes, of course, sometimes we do talk football, and he does give me advice, but in a very friendly way. It was Maradona's blatant hand ball, then his mesmerizing 70-yard dash through the English defense to score a second goal, that ended England's chances in Mexico. The display was seen as unsporting in England, and still is. But on May 13, Agüero erased those bitter memories, at least for a slice of England fans who happen to call Manchester home and who call City their team. With City trailing visiting Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the Premier League season, needing a win to unseat rival Manchester United as the league champion, the Citizens scored the tying goal early in added time. Then Agüero took a pass from the mercurial Mario Balotelli and blasted a shot past goalkeeper Paddy Kenny in the 94th minute as Eithad Stadium erupted in a long bottled-up frenzy. Agüero, 24, a sharp and clever player who joined City last summer on a $60 million transfer from Atlético Madrid (which replaced him with the rising Colombian star Radamel Falcao), became the man who upset the soccer hierarchy in England. City had erased United's 8-point lead after the championship had been written off by City's manager, the Italian Roberto Mancini. Agüero finished No. 3 in the Premier League with 23 goals. "I did think it was all lost," Agüero said. But we had confidence and wanted to win. A friend said to me that we were too far from the top, but I always said it was possible with a lot of faith. When I scored the goal, I remember the euphoria. I took off my shirt and started running, where I don't know. My teammates jumped on me, and when the game was finished I couldn't believe it. I still don't think it has sunk in. It's weird. Only later did I start to realize how important it was to our fans. I don't think I realized that we had won the league until the next day. I was just in a different place, my own world. Very happy. He added: "Of course, when I first went to England I did think it would be complicated. It's a different way of playing, and it was weird. But I thought I adapted well. At the age of 15 years 35 days, Agüero became the youngest to play in an Argentine first division game when he came on as a substitute for Independiente in 2003. The record he broke belonged to - surprise - Maradona. Years before, as a 2-year-old, Agüero was mesmerized by the Japanese cartoon "Wanpaku Amukashi Kum Kum," and was given the nickname Kun by a family friend. Before leaving Argentina for Spain's La Liga in 2006, Agüero helped Argentina win the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005, then a repeat in 2007 and finally a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. In Spain, Agüero, who is often compared to the Brazilian goal-scoring dynamo Romário, scored 101 goals in 234 games as Atlético won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2010. With so much success at such as young age, Agüero could be forgiven if he was just a tad complacent. But there are more Premier League titles to stalk, a Champions League title and then the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It is the first time the World Cup will be played in South America since Argentina won as hosts in 1978. "I want to achieve more titles, as many as possible," he said. I want to always win. I play for a club that demands so much. For me, next is the Champions League, it's the most important for a club because you play against the best teams in Europe. And I believe we have the team to achieve it. Agüero and Argentina are coming off a 4-0 victory against Ecuador (in which he scored the opening goal on his birthday, June 2) in World Cup qualifying. Argentina does not play another qualifier until September, and Brazil, as hosts in 2014, are merely looking for competitive games. "Tomorrow is very important," said Agüero, who is a fervent user of Twitter (@aguerosergiokun). It is Brazil, and every time we play Brazil it is like a final for us. It doesn't matter what kind of game, against Brazil all Argentina is hoping to win.