Mario Balotelli

Mario Barwuah Balotelli (born August 12, 1990, Palermo) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for the Turkish club Adana Demirspor. Known primarily for his bad temper, in almost every club he clashed with partners and coaches, and off the field he constantly had scandalous or funny incidents.

Mario was born into a family of immigrants from Ghana, but at the age of two he was placed under the care of the Italians Francesco and Silvia Balotelli. During his youth career, he managed to change five different clubs, until he made his debut in big football in 2005 as part of Lumezzane. From 2007 to 2010, he played for Inter, with whom he became the champion of Italy three times and took the Champions League in 2010. In the same year, he moved to Manchester City for 25 million pounds, won the league title and the national cup with the team, but due to constant conflicts he was forced to leave for Milan. In 2014, he moved to Liverpool, had a disastrous debut season and once again returned to Milan on loan. He also managed to play for the French clubs Nice and Olympique Marseille.

Mario also played for the Italian national team. In 2012, he became the vice-champion of Europe, having scored a double in the semifinal match against Germany(2:1).

Biography

Mario Balotelli was born in the Borgo hospital in Palermo to Ghanaian parents Thomas and Rous Barwua. A little later, his family moved to the city of Bagnolo Mella, in the province of Brescia. There, Mario fell ill and was in the hospital for about a year - he was born sick and had several operations on his stomach. The Barwua family could not provide Mario with decent treatment and living conditions, so they asked for help from social security services. In 1993, when Mario was 2 years old, Ghanaian parents handed him over to the Italian Balotelli family from Concesio, who already had three children - two boys and a girl, Cristina, to help the boy recover. A little later, the official custody of Mario Francesco and Silvia Balotelli over Mario was issued through the court. Many years later, Mario's biological parents claimed that they left their son because they were very poor; Balotelli's parents said that they brought their son to the house of biological parents several times, but they did not open the door. His two older brothers, Giovanni and Corrado, helped their parents take care of Mario. Mario later said: Where were they when I was nobody? Why didn't they ever want to meet, why didn't they even try to get me back? And now, when I'm a Serie A player, they flash on TV screens with tragic expressions on their faces. I have already asked my biological parents to respect my right to privacy. But they didn't listen to me. I can only repeat what I said two years ago: if I had not become the football star Mario Balotelli, they would not have thought about me. In their interview, they told a lot of false information that casts a shadow on the family that adopted me. I can't let that happen as my real family lives in Brescia and is respected in the city. This is my only family.

Based on Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992, Balotelli was able to obtain Italian citizenship only after 18 years. On August 13, 2008, Balotelli received an Italian passport at a special ceremony.

Club career

Early years

In 1997, Balotelli began playing for his first San Bartalomeo team, spending two years with it. Then in his career were "Mompiano" and "Pavoniano". In 2001, he joined the Lumezzane professional team, with which he made his professional football debut on April 2, 2006 in a C1 league match against Padua. At the age of 15, Balotelli failed to qualify for Barcelona and was signed by Inter for €150,000. Later, Super Mario had this to say about the Catalan team: "Play for Barcelona? I don't play with girls".

"Internationale"

After one season in the Inter youth team, Balotelli became a regular for the Nerazzurri, who paid €190,000 for the second half of the rights. On June 8, 2007, he played his first match in the main team of Inter. It was a friendly game against Sheffield, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of one of the oldest clubs in the world. Mario scored a double and was included by Roberto Mancini in the application for the next season of Serie A. On December 16, Balotelli played his first match in the Italian national championship against Cagliari (2: 0), and three days later he scored two goals in a duel Coppa Italia against Reggina (4:1). But they really started talking about him after a brace in the second leg of the Coppa Italia against Juventus (3:2), thanks to which Inter was able to reach the semi-finals.

Mario with Inter

Before the end of the season, he scored the first goal in Serie A in the confrontation with Atalanta and became the champion of Italy. At the start of the next season, Balotelli helped Inter win the Italian Super Cup. In that match, he came on as a substitute in the second half and equalized in the 83rd minute. The fate of the cup was decided in the post-match penalty shootout, which was won by Inter (including thanks to an accurate shot by Mario).

The following season, Balotelli continued to score regularly, becoming the main hope of the Italian nation. He became the youngest goalscorer in Inter's Champions League history, hitting the Anorthosis gate at the age of 18 years and 85 days. In that season, he played 31 matches and scored 10 goals, and the Nerazzurri became champions of Italy for the fourth time in a row. The next season, Mario had to work under the guidance of Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese did not particularly trust the young striker, trying to evenly divide the playing practice between the experienced Goran Pandev and Balotelli. He scored 11 goals in all competitions, and his team completed the "golden treble", taking the league title, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

"Manchester city"

On August 13, 2010, Balotelli moved to the English club Manchester City, signing a 5-year contract. The amount of the transfer amounted to 24 million pounds. In the new team, Mario reunited with Roberto Mancini, who once gave him a ticket to big football.

Balotelli in action for Manchester City against Arsenal (far right)

On August 19, 2010, in his first match for the new club - against the Romanian Timisoara in the 2010/11 Europa League on the road - in the 72nd minute he scored the only goal that brought Manchester City victory. However, in the same match, the Italian received a severe injury to the lateral meniscus and flew out until October.

On October 24, 2010, he made his debut in the English Premier League 2010/11 in a home match against Arsenal (0:3). On November 7, Balotelli scored two goals and brought his team victory in the match with the West Bromwich Albion club, in the same game he received a red card and a three-match suspension. In the first season, Mario scored mainly in Eurocups, scoring a double in the match against Red Bull from Salzburg. On December 3, for the first time, he fought with his teammate. Jerome Boateng got under the hand, who did not like Balo's trick in training. December 28 Balotelli scored a hat-trick in the match of the championship of England with the club "Aston Villa". At the end of December, Balotelli was awarded the prestigious Golden Boy award, saying that only Messi plays football better than him. Until the end of the season, Balotelli played 28 matches and scored 10 goals. He helped City win the FA Cup, their first trophy in 35 years.

In the 2011/12 season, Super Mario continued to get involved in scandalous stories and score with enviable regularity. October 23, 2011 scored two goals against Manchester United. The Italian striker celebrated his goal in a peculiar way, showing the inscription “Why always me?” on a T-shirt under the game jersey. ("Why always Me?"). The meeting ended with a convincing victory for Manchester City over Manchester United with a score of 6: 1. Until the end of the season, he scored 13 goals in 23 matches, while receiving four red cards and a four-match suspension for deliberate aggression against Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker. After another antics in the match against Arsenal, the Citizens coach Roberto Mancini lost his patience and promised that Balotelli would no longer play in his team. However, a month later, Mario still came on as a substitute in the final match of the season against Queens Park Rangers, helped Sergio Aguero score the winning goal and brought the team their first league title since 1968.

Despite all the threats of Mancini, Balotelli still remained at City for the next season, but he only continued to degrade. It got to the point that the leadership of the "townspeople" began to fine him for two weeks' wages and remove him from the first team for several months. In December, Mario tried to sue Manchester because he did not agree with another fine. However, the day before the start of the trial, the Italian withdrew his claim and agreed to pay a fine. At the same time, problems began in the personal life of Super Mario. He broke up with his girlfriend Raffaella Fico, but she managed to give birth to his daughter. In January 2013, Mario got into a fight with his longtime mentor Roberto Mancini. After that, the leadership of the “citizens” put their striker on the transfer.

"Milan"

January 30, 2013 officially moved to AC Milan. The transfer amount was € 20 million. On February 1, 2013, Mario Balotelli was introduced as a Rossoneri player, receiving the number 45 shirt.

Balotelli in action for AC Milan

In his debut match for the Rossoneri, on February 3, he made a double against Udinese. On March 17, he scored a double against Palermo, thus repeating the achievement of Andriy Shevchenko, scoring seven goals in the first six matches. Balotelli helped Milan climb to fourth place in the standings, scoring 12 goals in 13 matches. On May 8, he became the author of the 3rd double in the camp of the Rossoneri, hitting the gates of Pescara this time. On May 19, in the final round of the Italian championship, he became the hero who earned and converted a penalty against Siena. Milan won 2-1, thus retaining their place in the Champions League.

The next season with Milan was quite successful for Balo. Despite the fact that it started unsuccessfully - Mario did not score a penalty for the first time in his career, subsequently the Italian scored regularly. In a duel against Livorno, he scored another double, scoring one of the goals from a 30-meter free kick (the ball flew at a speed of 109 kilometers per hour). After the Milan team did not qualify for European competition, Balotelli decided to leave the team.

"Liverpool"

On August 25, 2014, Mario returned to England, becoming a Liverpool player, replacing Luis Suarez, who had left for Barcelona. The transfer amount was 16 million pounds plus 2 million as bonuses. On August 31, Balo made his debut for Liverpool in a League Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur (3:0). On September 17, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in the Champions League group stage match against Ludogorets.

Balotelli with Liverpool before the match.

But then Balotelli fell silent for a long time and lost his place in the starting lineup. On February 10, 2015, he scored his first and only goal for Liverpool in the Premier League. And in just a season, Mario scored 4 goals and was recognized as the worst transfer to the Premier League. In addition, Balotelli was fined several times for antisocial behavior and posting banned media on social networks.

Loan in Milan

In the summer of 2015, Liverpool tried to sell Balotelli, but no one was willing to buy the Italian. On August 27, Milan officially confirmed Mario's loan for the 2015/2016 season. According to the terms of the deal, the Reds continued to pay Mario's salary, and Milan received the right of first refusal to buy the striker. On September 22, Balotelli scored his first goal after returning, hitting the Udinese gate (3:2). However, the season turned out to be a failure for him due to permanent injuries that required surgery. As a result, Balotelli scored another goal and could not help Milan get into European competition. His club reached the final of the Coppa Italia, but lost to Juventus with a score of 0:1. Played 20 matches in Serie A and scored 1 goal.

Return to Liverpool

In the summer of 2016, Mario returned to Liverpool, where Jurgen Klopp worked. The German specialist said that while the fate of Balotelli has not been decided and he has a chance to prove his professional suitability. Nevertheless, the British media claimed that the leadership of the Merseysiders allegedly wants to get rid of the attacker and are ready to listen to proposals from China, Qatar or Turkey.

Career revival at Nice

On August 31, 2016, as a free agent, he moved to the French "Nice". The leadership of the French club convinced Liverpool to break the contract with the Italian. On September 2, Balotelli was introduced as a player for the Eagles. Mario became the highest paid player on the team. According to unofficial data, Balotelli's salary was 450 thousand euros per month.

On September 11, he made his debut in the championship in the match of the 4th round against Marseille (3:2), scoring two goals. First, the striker converted a penalty in the 7th minute of the meeting, and in the 78th minute closed the canopy of Ricardo Pereira. After the game he was named the best player of the meeting. On December 18, he scored a double in a match with Dijon (2:1). On February 19, 2017, he was sent off for two yellow cards in a match against Lorient (1:0). This was Balotelli's third removal this season. Later, the French Professional Football League announced the cancellation of the second card. The disciplinary commission recognized as erroneous the decision of the chief referee Olivier Toile, who sent the player off at the end of the meeting. On May 8, he scored in a match with Marseille (1:2). The Italian scored his 15th goal in the current competition, breaking his personal best in goals for the season. Balotelli's previous achievement (14 goals) was set in the 2013/14 season, when he scored for Milan. In his first season for the Eagles, Balotelli was able to score seventeen goals in all competitions. In the league, he was able to score 15 goals in 23 matches and become the team's top scorer and enter the top 5 of Ligue 1, which helped Nice to take third place and qualify for the Champions League. Nice President Jean-Pierre River noted Balotelli's success and praised the Italian for his tenacity, as well as his playing discipline:

I am glad that Balotelli has adapted well at the club, he has become a valuable part of the team. Now Mario has an excellent relationship in the team and personally with Lucien Favre. I am sure that if Mario had met Favre earlier, he would now be playing in a higher-ranking club.

Despite various rumors that sent Balotelli to other clubs, Mario decided to stay. On June 25, he signed a new contract with Nice. The Italian signed an agreement for a period of one season.

The 2017/18 season did not start very well, the team failed to break into the Champions League group stage, losing to Napoli. On February 16, 2018, having scored a double in the first match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League with Lokomotiv (2:3), he reached the clear first place in the list of the club's top scorers in the 21st century. The Italian had 38 goals for the French club. On March 2, he scored a goal in the match of the 28th round with Lille (2:1). The striker scored the 3000th goal of the club in the history of the championship of France. In September, due to excess weight, he was withdrawn from the main team of the club. With a height of 189 centimeters, Balotelli's weight was 100 kilograms, which is 12 kilograms above the norm. The player almost completely missed the pre-season training of Nice, as he was seriously determined to move to Marseille in the summer, but the deal did not take place. A few days later, the striker returned to the squad.

"Olympic Marseille"

On January 23, 2019, he signed a contract with Marseille until the end of the 2018/19 season. Two days later, Mario made his debut for a new club, scoring a goal against Lille. For the remainder of the season, Balotelli was a regular starter, scoring seven more goals.

"Brescia"

In 2019, Balotelli signed a one-year contract with Brescia. In the new team, he will receive 1.5 million euros, but due to bonuses, the amount of payments can increase to 4 million. The parties may extend the contract for one more season. The leadership of Brescia has repeatedly expressed claims that Balotelli misses training, as a result, the contract with the Italian striker was terminated on June 6 by agreement of the parties. In the 2019/20 season, Balloteli played 19 games and scored 5 goals.

"Monza"

On December 7, 2020, Balotelli, as a free agent, moved to Monza, signing a contract until the end of the season. On December 30, in his debut match for the new club, Balotelli scored the first goal for Monza. In the 2020/21 season, Balloteli played 12 games and scored 5 goals.

"Adana Demirspor"

On July 7, 2021, he signed a contract with the Turkish club Adana Demirspor, which returned to the Turkish Premier League.

National career

In 2007, the Ghanaian Football Federation tried to lure him away, but Mario rejected her offer, expressing a desire to play for the Italian national team. On September 5, 2008, he made his debut for the Italian youth team in a duel against the Greeks, in which he was able to equalize (1:1). In the summer of 2009, he went with the national team to the European Youth Championship. He scored a goal in his debut match against Sweden, but then he was sent off for a foul on Pontus Wernbloom and did not enter the field again. His team reached the semifinals, where they lost to the Germans (0:1).

In training with Thiago Motta and Alessandro Diamanti

Balotelli made his debut for the national team in the first match after the 2010 World Cup. It was a friendly match against Côte d'Ivoire (1:0). And he scored his first goal in the qualifying match for Euro 2012 against Poland (2:0). Super Mario became the first black player to play for Italy at the European Championships. As part of the national team, he took part in Euro 2012. On June 28, in the semi-final match against Germany, he scored two goals and led his team to the final of the championship, where the Italians lost to Spain 4-0. Top scorer of Euro 2012 (3 goals).

Between 2012 and 2014 Balotelli was the main forward of the Italian national team. He helped her take bronze at the 2013 Confederations Cup and reach the final of the 2014 World Cup. At the tournament itself, Balo scored the winner in a 2-1 win over the English, but didn't score anything else, and his team was eliminated in the group stage. Antonio Conte, who came to the team, began to call Balotelli less often, and after his failure at Liverpool, he completely excluded him from the application for the national team.

Personal life

From June 2011 to April 2012, he was in a relationship with Italian model Raffaella Fico. In July 2012, the girl announced her pregnancy. December 5, 2012 gave birth to a daughter named Pia. However, Balotelli refused to acknowledge paternity without a genetic test, a positive result of which became known on February 5, 2014, as reported by the player via twitter.

Since March 2013, she has been dating Fanny Neguesha.

Mario's older sister, Abigail Barwua, has a child with another famous player, Obafemi Martins.

Conflicts

On December 3, 2010, at a training session, Manchester City got into a fight with Jerome Boateng.

April 30, 2011 grappled with his teammate Vincent Kompany.

On December 15, 2011, he got into a fight with teammate Mika Richards, but the players soon reconciled.

On January 3, 2013, at a Manchester City training session, he had a falling out with head coach Roberto Mancini.