Kolarov: "Saying yes to Inter was an easy decision, now I want to give it my all and win"

APPIANO GENTILE – Aleksandar Kolarov’s first words as a Nerazzurri player: after his first training sessions with the team, as they gear up for the 2020/21 season, he spoke to Inter TV to introduce himself to the fans and to give his thoughts on his arrival at Inter: “It’s true that I’ve been close to joining Inter on a few occasions but now I’ve finally arrived. It was an easy decision for me: when I received the call from the Club I didn’t think twice about joining, and I gladly accepted the offer. I already know a lot of the players here, we’ve played against one another numerous times, and I got a really good impression, I can’t wait to meet them all.”

He also spoke about Coach Antonio Conte and the influence he had on his decision: “Of course that was a big factor: when he came to England he won the title straight away, and after arriving here last year, he has completely changed the face of this Club. I hope that we can perform well, and let's try to win together.”

On his role and the possibility of covering multiple positions: “Recently I’ve been very happy in the left centre-back role, and in my final months at Roma I was playing there. But I also played in that role at Manchester City as part of a back four, so I’m comfortable there, and since Inter are a side that almost always have possession of the ball, I could fit into that role really well here.”

One of the key skills that the Serbian defender has at his disposal is the accuracy of his shot, which has made him a free-kick specialist. A characteristic which reminds one of his childhood hero, Sinisa Mihajlovic: “Yes, I’ve got a powerful shot, but it needs a lot of work on the training ground. I always work hard in training, and I'll be working on this too. Mihajlovic was always my idol as a child, as he played for Red Star when I was little, and now destiny may well have decided that I will finish my career with Inter, much like he did.”

On the fourth matchday of the season, on Saturday 17 October at 18:00 CEST, Inter will be playing in the #DerbyMilano: “I played plenty of derbies in Rome and Manchester, and of course they’re massive games and on many occasions, I’ve scored goals. I hope to do so in this derby as well.”

The interview finished with a message for all the Nerazzurri fans: “For sure something that I’ve seen over the years is that this is a very active fanbase. Since they won’t be there at the stadium on the first matchday, I want to say that we’ll still need their support this season."