Mario Balotelli’s Career: Milestones and Controversies

Mario Balotelli’s career has spanned numerous clubs, including Lumezzane, Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor, and Sion. Mario Balotelli has returned to professional football. The 34-year-old forward, previously of Manchester City and Liverpool, has signed for Serie A club Genoa. The former Italy international had been a free agent since his departure from Turkish club Adana Demirspor this summer. Genoa marks ‘Super Mario’s’ 12th professional club. To commemorate this, a compilation of some of his most notable moments, both positive and challenging, has been assembled. Following an unsuccessful trial with Barcelona at the age of 15, Balotelli was signed by Inter Milan in 2007. He secured Serie A titles with Inter Milan in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons, subsequently scoring the decisive goal against Juventus in the 2009-10 Coppa Italia quarter-finals. In that same season, under manager Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan achieved Italian football’s inaugural Treble, with Balotelli securing his third Serie A title at 20 years old. Balotelli was awarded the 2010 Golden Boy award. In August 2010, Balotelli transferred from Inter to Manchester City in a £24m deal. He netted his inaugural Premier League goal in November against West Bromwich Albion, though he was subsequently sent off in the same fixture following an altercation with Youssouf Mulumbu. By the conclusion of his first season, he contributed to Manchester City’s FA Cup victory, which ended the club’s 35-year trophy drought. By spring 2011, Balotelli had established a reputation as a highly skilled footballer, albeit one with a challenging personality. After having already received two red cards for his new club and been involved in a car crash, the striker threw a dart at a youth-team player. Club officials addressed the matter with Balotelli, but he avoided disciplinary action regarding the training-ground incident, which resulted in no injuries. At times during his tenure at Manchester City, Balotelli’s on-pitch attitude was deemed deficient. In July 2011, during a pre-season friendly against LA Galaxy, Balotelli was substituted after attempting a backheel shot that went wide while he was clear on goal. “I hope this is a lesson,” stated City manager Roberto Mancini, who refuted suggestions that Balotelli might have believed he was offside. “If you [Balotelli] are serious, you can play 90 minutes. If not, you can come and sit by me on the bench.” In October 2011, emergency services responded to a call at the Italian player’s Cheshire residence after a firework was ignited in his bathroom during the early morning hours. Four firefighters, equipped with breathing apparatus, utilized two hoses to extinguish the flames; however, police classified the incident as an accident and chose not to pursue further action. Balotelli provided two Premier League assists for Manchester City, including one for Sergio Aguero’s title-clinching goal. Days after the fireworks incident, Balotelli garnered positive attention by scoring Manchester City’s opening goal in a 6-1 victory against rivals Manchester United. His celebration involved lifting his shirt to display the phrase “Why always me?” printed on an undershirt. Later in that season, he assisted Sergio Aguero’s title-winning goal against Queen’s Park Rangers, scored deep into stoppage time on the final day of the season. Balotelli delivered an outstanding performance at Euro 2012, scoring against the Republic of Ireland in the group stage, converting a penalty during a shootout victory over England, and netting two goals against Germany in the semi-finals. Italy was defeated 4-0 by Spain in the final, yet Balotelli was included in the Team of the Tournament and ended as a joint-top scorer. In January 2013, having scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for Manchester City, he transferred to AC Milan for £19m. He made an immediate impact with his new team, scoring 12 goals in 13 matches and contributing to their qualification for the Champions League. In December 2013, he scored a free-kick recorded at 68mph. Balotelli was acquired by Brendan Rodgers and later sold by Jurgen Klopp. In August 2014, Liverpool acquired Balotelli for £16m as a replacement for Luis Suarez. However, the Italian’s transfer to the Reds proved unsuccessful, and he later stated that joining Liverpool was the worst decision of his life. He received criticism from manager Brendan Rodgers for exchanging shirts with opponent Pepe at half-time during a Champions League fixture against Real Madrid. Following four goals in 28 appearances, he was loaned back to AC Milan, prior to joining French club Nice on a free transfer in 2016.