A great talent who wasted his career despite playing for Inter, Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool
The last island of Mario Balotelli it is Saudi Arabia’s second division. The sad decline of the striker who as a very young man had set the San Siro on fire with the Inter shirt and who then never managed to let his footballing talent prevail over his follies on and off the pitch ends at the age of 35 with All Ittifaq, a Saudi Arabian Serie B club owned by the Italian Pietro Laterza who is also the owner of Chievo Verona (serie D group B). Balotelli’s new club plays in a 550-seater stadium, probably if they had gone to Chievo instead of Arabia there would have been more people attending the Super Mario matches. It was said of him that he was genius and reckless: impressive physical qualities and technically very strong. An exceptional striker who got lost between the arguments with the coaches and the antics off the pitch (the “balotellate” which were compared to the “cassanate” of Antonio Cassano).
A wasted career
Many have tried to live with Balotelli’s character, not even Roberto Mancini managed it who after having launched at a very young age in Serie A also took him to Inter in the Premier League at Manchester City. The clash in training between the two was epochal with Balotelli going so far as to put his hands on the coach who had always treated him like a son. Balotelli has had many opportunities to rise again: after his experience in the Premier League returns to Italy to wear the Milan shirtthe team he supported as a child. Two seasons with the Rossoneri and 26 goals, all in all not bad before the brief appearance at Liverpool and the return to Italy, again at Milan. But his last season with the Rossoneri (2015-2016) was disappointing, with only one goal in 20 games. And here begins the unfortunate wandering: two and a half years at Nice, then Marseille and again the return to Italy to find stimuli in his home. But in Brescia it’s another flop and it’s no better at Monza, At that time a year in Türkiye at Adana, then in Switzerland at Sion before returning to Adana, the last chance is given to him Genoa but it ends badly here too because Vieira, who had him at Nice, doesn’t let him play. The last match against Genoa in December 2024, then a year without football and now the Arab Serie B.
The blue illusion
Balotelli had always expressed his great love for the blue shirt and Cesare Prandelli calls him up for the European Championship of 2012, Mario scores two goals against Germany with the famous shirtless celebration, his career seems to be at a turning point even if Italy loses the final to Spain. Balotelli seems to have Prandelli’s trust, he goes to the 2014 World Cup, scores in the first match with England but then disappoints and with Italy’s elimination the controversy explodes, part of the dressing room is said to be against him. When Conte arrives in blue there is little space for Balotelli, only one call-up. However, Mancini remembers him and calls him back after 4 years but only for two friendlies.
What regrets
He could have been a hero of Italian football, he had the means to become the dominator of our championship. And instead he burned his talent: perhaps the sign of what would happen in the following years is the episode at the end of Inter-Barcelona, Champions League semi-final won by Mourinho’s Nerazzurri). It was April 20, 2010 and Balotelli, who entered the pitch at the end, angered the fans with two absurd shots that ended up very far from the goal. Mario was offended and after taking off his shirt he threw it on the ground. A sensational gesture that Mourinho didn’t forgive him, so much so that he didn’t let him play even a minute in the final in Madrid against Bayern. A free-kick from which Balotelli learned no lessons. He continued to treat everyone with presumption and arrogance throughout his career, he wasted his best years. And now to raise more money he goes to play in the Arab Serie B. What a pity.
