Liverpool vs Roma: Aleksandar Kolarov no fan of Reds as he had Tony Hibbert’s Everton shirt hanging up in Man City locker
ALEKSANDAR KOLAROV is on a revenge mission to dump Liverpool out of the Champions League.
The former Manchester City star could have been making an emotional return to the Etihad for tonight’s semi-final first leg.
But Jurgen Klopp’s troops spoiled that fairytale by pulling off a shock quarter-final win against Pep Guardiola’s men.
And that means Roma tough guy Kolarov and pal Edin Dzeko, another City great, will have vengeance on their minds when they walk out at Anfield.
Kolarov said: “It would have been a huge thing for Edin and myself to have returned to the Etihad with Roma and I thought City would beat Liverpool.
“But now we have the chance as former City players to get some kind of revenge. We’ve had plenty of messages from City fans asking us to do that and we’ll be trying our best, I can assure you of that.”
Kolarov, 32, can expect even more flak from Liverpool supporters when they learn that the Serb gave pride of place to an EVERTON shirt in his locker at City’s training ground.
Kolarov was affectionately known as ‘Herbert’ by City’s long-serving former kitman Les Chapman.
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So when the left-back was warming up before a game at Goodison several years ago, something caught his eye.
Chapman recalled: “Aleks came dashing over to me and said ‘Chappy, you have to get me that guy’s shirt — he’s called Herbert'. I wasn’t aware of an Everton player called Herbert. But then I looked and it was Tony Hibbert.
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“I arranged with Everton’s kitman to get the shirt. Then I changed a couple of the letters so it read ‘Herbert’.
“He was so pleased with it that he hung it in his locker at Carrington — it was the first thing you would see when he opened it up.”
So Kolarov and Dzeko will try to bring a smile to the blue halves of Manchester and Merseyside by getting a result in tonight’s first leg.
The Balkan Boys — Kolarov is Serbian while Dzeko is from Bosnia — were inseparable during their 4½ years together at the Etihad. Now they have both ended up at the Olympic Stadium.
Former Preston boss Chapman said: “They’re from different countries but the same part of the world — and they were great friends on and off the pitch.
“I know Aleks had a love of Rome as a city from his days with Lazio. To go back there was perfect for him — particularly with Edin being there, too.”
When Chapman and Kolarov staged a light-hearted boxing bout for City’s video Advent calendar, Dzeko was cornerman.
Kolarov played up to his role of the ‘Silent Assassin’ by saying nothing throughout the eight-minute film — until right at the end.
After ‘knocking out’ Chapman, he took a famous phrase from Rocky IV’s Ivan Drago and said to the camera: “If he dies, he dies”.
The left-back’s stony-faced and tuneless rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ for the same series also made him something of a cult figure among City fans.
Chapman said: “He like to portray that hardman image — but that wasn’t him, he was warm and friendly. Neither him or Edin gave me a moment’s trouble.”
Even now, they remain close friends, watching Manchester United’s defeat to West Brom together — the game which handed Guardiola’s men the title.
Dzeko’s 72 goals in four years for City helped them to their first two Premier League crowns at the Etihad. He has also hit 68 in less than three seasons since a £10m switch to Roma.
Yet for all his success, Dzeko, 32, has never lost sight of the difficult upbringing he endured in war-torn Bosnia.
Chapman said: “Edin once told me that when he was a lad, he’d be driven to football practice by the same taxi driver each day.
“No matter what the problems were with the war, this guy was always there to drive Edin around.
“When he finally made the big time and started earning some good money, he went back to Bosnia and bought the guy a new taxi.
“That’s the sort of guy Edin is. They’re both great lads.”