Mario Balotelli, even at his brilliant best, was always a mercurial, unpredictable character. The Italian striker produced moments of brilliance during his two-and-a-half year spell at Manchester City, but he was equally capable of moments of inexplicable madness.
Setting off fireworks in his bathroom was the most infamous off-the-pitch debacle of his time in the Premier League, while the ‘why always me’ slogan he brandished beneath his shirt after scoring at Old Trafford remains an iconic Premier League moment.
A brief, unsuccessful stint with Liverpool followed his time with City, but Balotelli also shone at AC Milan, Nice and, more recently, with Turkish side Adana Demirspor. Still only 34, his career at the top level continues, although he could be set for a period of turbulence after an update from his current club, Genoa.
Balotelli set to leave Genoa
Balotelli only signed for Genoa as a free agent in late October, but it appears he is set to move on prematurely. The club’s director, Marco Ottolini, said: “We’re trying to find a solution to suit everyone.
“Mario has dropped down the pecking order, he is eager to get more playing time. In the final days of the transfer window, we will try to find a solution that suits everyone. We are trying to find somewhere he can go to play. He is not getting minutes on the pitch at Genoa right now, so we consider the best solution to be finding somewhere he can get that.”
Balotelli has been limited to just six Serie A substitute appearances at Genoa, totalling a meagre 57 minutes, which suggests head coach Patrick Vieira has not been impressed by what he’s seen.
The former Inter striker has not been included in Genoa’s squad since he was an unused substitute in a 1-0 win over Parma earlier this month. He has been left out entirely for the last two games, a 3-1 defeat at Roma and 2-0 victory over Monza.
Balotelli was said to have joined Genoa in October largely because of his relationship with then head coach Alberto Gilardino. But the latter was sacked just a few weeks later, leaving Balotelli unmoored and out of favour.
The writing was perhaps on the wall the moment Vieira was announced as Gilardino’s replacement. The former Arsenal midfielder briefly worked with Balotelli at Nice, before deeming him surplus to requirements.
“Mario’s mindset was difficult for a collective sport. The philosophy I wanted to put in place, the togetherness and work ethic I wanted to build, it was difficult for me to work with a player like Mario,” Vieira told the Daily Mail in 2020. “It was really difficult for both of us to work together, so we decided to go different ways.”
It seems history is repeating itself, and Vieira will cast the forward aside after another unsuccessful collaboration. Where Balotelli will end up is anyone’s guess.
