For a professional athlete, life after retirement can be difficult to navigate. Days once filled with training sessions, matches and constant travel suddenly become far more flexible, creating room to enjoy everyday moments with family and friends.

For Sergio "Kun" Agüero, retirement, even a forceful one, has also provided him with the opportunity to pursue some of his biggest passions outside the soccer field.

In an exclusive interview with The Latin Times, the former Argentine striker discussed his growing career as a streamer, his love for video games and his expectations for next year's World Cup.

On life after an 18-year career as a professional soccer player

"When you finish your life as an athlete, you never really know what you are going to do next. What I did know was that I wanted to find things that entertained me. That is how I got into streaming and started a channel. It is a much more relaxed life compared to being a soccer player. When you are a player, you have to train every morning and you travel every three days, and now it is not like that. I always try to enjoy what I do and spend time with friends and family."

On how his passion for gaming began

"I liked video games since I was a kid. I loved playing Family Game and Sega, and as I got older it became easier to keep that passion alive because there are so many more games now. Streaming helped me reconnect with video games again. It is something I have always enjoyed. I have a great time playing. Sometimes I even play a few games on my phone just to pass the time when I am bored."

On what he enjoys most about this new phase of life

"I like that the things I do now come with a sense of happiness and calm. I enjoy not having to explain myself to anyone, which matters to me because it makes one feel free. When you are an athlete, you have to watch what you say, and now I do not have the restrictions I used to deal with as a player."

Since his retirement, Agüero has been involved in a wide range of projects. In 2020 he founded KRÜ Esports, a competitive gaming organization that competes across several titles and has grown into one of the most influential teams in the Spanish-speaking esports scene.

Agüero is also a key figure in the Kings League, the hybrid soccer and entertainment competition created by Gerard Piqué. He is the president of Kunisports, his own team in the tournament, and has even taken the field as a guest player. Kunisports now competes in the Kings League Americas, where Agüero's presence continues to draw fans and media attention.

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Since retiring, Agüero has tried to stay close to soccer in different ways. He recently partnered with Verizon for its campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, which gives fans the chance to win "golden tickets" that offer on-field, pitch-side viewing access during the tournament.

On what he expects from the World Cup

"The World Cup is the most amazing tournament, and it's always full of surprises. You see teams like Morocco, which made great progress in the last World Cup, and you wonder how they got so far. Then you have countries like Argentina, Germany, France and Brazil, always competing for the title. It's going to be a new World Cup with a different format, and that's exciting."

On what a team needs to succeed in a World Cup

"In my experience, in a tournament like a World Cup you do not have much time to prepare. For example, Argentina has always had very good players, but in Qatar 2022 Lionel Scaloni built a system that was different from what Argentina had played for most of its history. I think it was similar to what happened in 1986 and 1990 with Carlos Bilardo building a very solid team, and that is why they won in Qatar. Back then you had Diego Maradona, and in this case they built a good team around Lionel Messi that was able to bring out the best in the group and win the World Cup."

On his favorite World Cup moment

"Obviously for me, the 2022 final was the best experience I have ever had. I was always on the field as a player, but going to a World Cup with my son Benjamín was amazing. As a father, when you get to share moments like that, you never forget them."

On what he misses most and least about soccer

"What I miss most about soccer are the relationships with my teammates and simply being on the field with your fans. And then, it is not that I miss it less, but I think retirement came at the right time because late in my career I was getting tired of all the travel."

"I lived off soccer, and it is very hard to see anything negative about that life because most of it is very good. When you are a kid you dream of becoming a soccer player. When you achieve that dream and then retire, it is a big change."

Originally published on Latin Times