Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli has already, at the young age of 20, an impressive CV. Having been successful at Inter Milan after a short spell at Lumezzane, he was bought by the new owners of Manchester City. He has talent, that much is given, but is he too immature for his stature?

Recently in the headlines is the story of how Balotelli, in a pre-season friendly in the US against LA Galaxy, chose to attempt a trick shot, almost a Maradonna turn, instead of simply slotting home. He missed, and was instantly substituted off for James Milner. The video of this is below. I personally find it incredibly disrespectful to attempt this in a game. Granted it is only pre-season, and against a somewhat lesser team, but nevertheless you should not set out to humiliate teams. The opposition players and fans were disgusted, although I think justice has been done in that he himself was humiliated, but even after being taken off he still has an argument with his manager. Does he not know when to stop? He needs to refocus and look at what stage he is playing at. If it was school play ground football, this would be accepted. For supposedly one of the best teams in the world against another high profile team, it is not.

Many say it is just due to his age, but I don't feel this is a reason or a valid justification. I've never seen such an obnoxious player on the pitch, with such over confidence. I remember a while ago when he was quoted as saying he was equal to Lionel Messi, which is of course nonsense. While I am mentioning Messi - did he ever display such ignorance? No, he did not, he is down to earth and is a respectable footballer.

This is not the first time Balotelli has been involved in controversy. At the end of last season when his Manchester City team won the FA Cup, he said on live television "My whole season has been s**t, can I say this?". No, Mario, you cannot. This is a completely stupid thing to say when you know it is a rude word, and the broadcast is live.

Even when playing for Inter Milan he had more than his fair share of controversy, I personally remember him being substituted from the Champions League semi-final, and subsequently throwing his shirt to the ground amid boos from his fans. His relationship with fans wasn't helped further by his appearance on an Italian TV show, wearing the jersey of massive rivals AC Milan, with whom Inter share the San Siro.

Not only does Balotelli risk being a laughing stock with football fans across the world, but he also risks wasting the genuine potential he seems to possess. I cannot possibly see him being as good as Messi as he claims, but he does have some skill, which coupled with his pace and shooting ability would make him a formidable opponent to many defenders.

He also risks losing the trust of his team mates and manager. It is clear that his relationship with Roberto Mancini is strained after several apparent bust ups between the two, but his team mates are also showing their frustration, with Nigel De Jong today criticising Balotelli for his decisions. I feel though that Balotelli is risking more than  relationships with fans and current players/managers; that he is risking future positive moves in his career. He already has this undesirable reputation of bust ups and controversy that I'm sure the majority of clubs who would normally look at signing him might think twice about it, especially after he couldn't get along with Jose Mourinho, whom many believe to be the best manager in the world.

Balotelli has unquestionable potential, but until he realises that his stupidity is preventing him from being truly successful he will not progress. When, and if, he realises this, he may finally decide to think before he performs such antics, and become a more popular figure, but until then he will still be the butt of many a joke from fans across the world. For instance, type Mario Balotelli in facebook, and see quite how many groups and pages there are mocking him (especially for his amusing defeat to a bib in pre-match training, see here).