Sports The Star: Aleksandar Kolarov

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Aleksandar Kolarov

Aleksandar Kolarov ( born 10 November 1985 in Belgrade) is a professional association footballer playing for Premier League side Manchester City and the Serbian national team.Although primarily a left back, Kolarov can play in centre back as well and is known for his overlapping runs on the left wing and his powerful shot.In the summer of 2007, OFK Beograd sold Kolarov to Italian side Lazio for €925,000.Kolarov's first goal for Lazio came at the Stadio Oreste Granillo in Reggio Calabria on 30 September 2007, as he hit a rocket from 40 meters to secure a draw against lowly Reggina.During his time in Rome, Kolarov has also gathered experience in the UEFA Champions League.In his second season in Italy, Kolarov established himself as Lazio's first choice at left back, scoring a spectacular goal against Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare.It got even better for the Serbian in the second Derby della Capitale of the season. With Lazio 3–2 up, Kolarov received the ball in defence from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and proceeded to run the length of the pitch virtually unopposed. Having run 85 metres, Kolarov then slotted the ball past a hapless Doni in the Roma goal. He celebrated his goal with a Sign of the Cross in Serbian Orthodox fashion.For the 2009–10 season, Kolarov switched his shirt number from 3 to 11, wearing the number previously worn by fellow Serb Siniša Mihajlović, who possessed similar characteristics to Kolarov.As the 2009–10 season drew to an end, Kolarov was instantly linked with a move away from Lazio with Manchester City and Real Madrid interested.On 24 July 2010 it was announced that he had signed for Manchester City for £16 million. On 14 August 2010, Kolarov made his Premier League debut in a 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.On 18 January 2011, Kolarov scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 victory over Leicester City in the FA Cup while on 2 February 2011, Kolarov recorded his first Premier League goal from a free kick in a 2–2 draw against Birmingham City.