The name of Cristiano Ronaldo will always come up for mention whenever there is conversation about adding hard work to talent but that of Mario Balotelli would always be mentioned when young talents are being counselled on what not to do to attain their goals.
Right from Inter Milan, Mario Balotelli was dubbed as the next big thing for Italian football. With his heart set on playing for Azzuris over Ghana, Balotelli had the world at his feet and was billed to be the best black man to ever wear the blue jersey of the four-time World champions.
Born on August 12, 1995, in Palermo to Ghanaian immigrants in Italy, Mario was placed in foster care by the Balotelli family due to his parent's inability to afford his medical needs.
He began his youth footballing begun with Lumezzane but caught the attention of the world in Inter Milan under the managerial tenure of the veteran Jose Mourinho.
Mario was part of Inter Milan's treble-winning team in 2010 and though he was not the main man for Jose Mourinho, the world appreciated his talent thus making the big money move to join Manchester City in the summer of 2010.
He won the Premier League and FA Cup in England but his career hasn't seen a rise again since leaving Manchester City and that made him lose his position in the Italian National team.
He hasn't won a single trophy since making the move to join AC Milan in 2013 and up to till, he is one of the "wasted" talents that people use to advise young talented footballers.
In 2012, Mario Balotelli's performance in the Euros made him one of the hottest commodities in the football market but he was released a year later by Manchester City after series of reports of alleged indiscipline which affected his output on the pitch.
After Manchester City where he won the English Premier League in 2011, Balotelli has been a journeyman as he has played for 7 different clubs in the last nine years.
He has featured for AC Milan, Liverpool, OGC Nice, Marseille, Brescia, AC Monza, and Adana Demirspor since ending his stay at the Etihad Sports Stadium with the Citizens.
However, as he turns 32 today, Friday, August 12, 2022, we celebrate some of the best goals he scored during his good days between 2007-2012.
Author: Joel Eshun
Watch some of Balotelli's memorable goals in the post below:
Also, watch this week's episode of the GhanaWeb Sports Debate in the post below:
