Ex-Man City, Lazio defender Kolarov announces retirement

Aleksandar Kolarov

, who used to be a defender for

, has announced his retirement after leaving

. Kolarov's two-year stay at San Siro comes to an end at the end of June, when his contract with the Italian giants officially runs out.

The 36-year-old only played 15 times for Inter in all competitions after joining in September 2020 from Serie A rivals Roma. Seven of those starts were as a starter. Before joining City for seven years in 2010, he played for

Lazio

in the top division of Italian soccer.

The Serbian player with 94 caps won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and two EFL Cups with City. Kolarov, a left-back, told

ANSA

on Sunday that he was retiring. In the statement, he said, "I always knew that sooner or later, this moment would come."

"I'm sad that one part of my life is coming to an end, but I'm glad I was able to achieve what has always been my dream. I'd like to thank everyone who came after me in the first part of my career." First of all, to every teammate I had in the clubs I played for and on the football team of my home country, Serbia, which I have always been very proud to play for."

"I want to thank the clubs, presidents, managers, coaches, technical staff, doctors, economists, physiotherapists, and everyone else who helped me and worked hard in the background during my career."

Kolarov started his career with Serbian teams Cukaricki and OFK Beograd. He wants to stay in football by taking on a new role. He said, "I'm coming to the end of this part of my life, and I'm very happy with what I've done."

"I'm already thinking about my "other" life in football. Soon, I'll start training to be a sports director and scout at the Italian Football Federation's national football center in Coverciano.

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