Manager Roberto Mancini cheerfully admitted he could "punch" the Italian, so bemused is he by the 20-year-old's failure to extract any excitement from the most passionate of sports.
Balotelli himself claims to be only doing his job and doesn't view his feats - eight goals in 11 appearances after his hat-trick against Aston Villa on Tuesday - as anything out of the ordinary.
It does not appear there is any chance of the former Inter Milan man changing his ways, even if City manage to sustain their challenge at the top of the Premier League and eventually clinch the title, as the striker confidently predicts. But that is no concern for Johnson and his team-mates.
As long as Balotelli keeps on performing to present levels, they are not concerned how he reacts.
"That is just him. It is the way he is," said the England winger. "I don't think you can read anything by it. He is the type of person who doesn't tend to show much emotion. As long as he scores goals, it doesn't matter. And he showed what a goalscorer he is; a tap-in and two penalties."
Source: PA
Source: PA