31/08/2026
✍️ SAME PLAYER. TWO VERY DIFFERENT AUTOGRAPHS.
Take a close look at these two Sergio Agüero signed Manchester City shirts.
At first glance, you could easily think the signatures were from two different people.
They aren't.
⚽ The No.16 shirt represents Agüero's early Manchester City era, when he first arrived at the club in 2011.
⚽ The No.10 shirt represents the later stages of his City career, after he switched from 16 to the famous No.10 shirt.
But look at the signatures.
On the No.16 shirt, Agüero's autograph is longer, more flowing and much closer to a conventional signature. You can see considerably more pen movement and definition.
On the later No.10 shirt, the signature has become shorter and more economical, while still retaining characteristics of his signing style.
And that's something collectors sometimes overlook.
Autographs can evolve.
Imagine how many times Agüero was asked for his signature during a decade at Manchester City.
Shirts. Photos. Footballs. Programmes. Trading cards. Supporters waiting outside training grounds. Organised signing sessions...
Over thousands and thousands of autographs, it's hardly surprising that a player's signature can become quicker and more abbreviated.
It also demonstrates why comparing an autograph with one example you've found online isn't enough to determine authenticity.
Different doesn't automatically mean wrong.
There is one important distinction, though: the shirts themselves help us identify the different eras, but don't necessarily prove exactly when each autograph was applied. That's where provenance and authentication become important.
It's these little details that make collecting football memorabilia so fascinating.
Which Agüero signature do you prefer – the more elaborate No.16 version or the later, abbreviated style on the No.10? 👇
