Bad Boy Balotelli At It Again
The front page of Tuesdays Gazzetta dello Sport had the adoring face of Mario Balotelli spread from top to bottom. The former Inter ace was the subject of an in-depth interview by the pink paper and it contained a number of gems from the Manchester City striker.
He may be the scourge of many in Italian football but the super confident Balotelli did not hold back in the recent interview. Commenting on the likes of Wayne Rooney:
“He is a very good player but not the best in Manchester.
“Think about this one: Balotelli-Carlos Tevez-Edin Dzeko. Is it not good enough? Can you see anything better than this now in the world? Me neither, not even at Barcelona or Real [Madrid].”
Something I’m sure many Manchester City fans will be glad to hear I’m sure, but he has only managed 617 minutes of football this season starting only seven matches.
Roberto Mancini was another who felt the wrath of Mario, the striker commenting on his level of English while also giving a glimpse of the inner workings at City:
“He must say nothing. His English stinks. But it is improving.
“But Mancini is lucky. He has an owner who only asks him: ‘What do you need?’”
However, Mancini was only a minor target as he even questioned the Italian Prime Minister and Milan President Silvio Berlusconi’s assessment of Antonio Cassano:
“Do I envy Cassano for going to AC Milan? A little. Silvio Berlusconi said that Cassano is the best Italian talent – he’s wrong or doesn’t know Balotelli.”
Something that may not work in his favour if he is to have his wish of a move to Milan in the future.
“Me with Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] and Cassano at Milan? It’ll happen soon. For this year, and another, I will stay at City where I’m fine,” he said.
One thing is for sure; the Christmas party at Milanello will be a right hoot. But maybe Balotelli should concentrate on his football before shooting his mouth off, as he tends to do on a semi-regular basis.
He endured racist chanting at numerous Italian football grounds during his time in Serie A, but I do recall Juventus fans insisting their chanting against his was merely against Balotelli the man, and had nothing to do with his race.
Going as far as to insist Jose Mourinho learns some manners, is rich coming from a man whose penchant to throw a strop resulted in some harsh words and an alleged throttling from Marco Materazzi. Francesco Totti even tried to kick some sense into the youngster.
It may be best for the Italian international to lay low for a while, concentrate on his football and start making headlines for the right reasons. His talent cannot be questioned, but his application and attitude can, so interviews that court so much controversy should really be curbed for his long-term benefit.
He doesn’t half know how to entertain though.
