The Sicilian hotstepper of Ghanian origin has never been easy on the eye or on the mind. Powerfully built and agile on the field, he exudes an attitude of brazenness. His presence on the field and when replaced, off it, can ignite fireworks of any magnitude, either in the form of goals or in an outburst . His unpredictability and immature attitude maybe quite amusing to Manchester City rivals, but evidently does not go down too well with his boss Mancini. In a nutshell, there?s no telling what he is going to do.
The latest bust-up during training at Carrington should be nothing new for the Man.City manager and for those who have been following the career of this volatile yet talented Italian international.
His long history of tantrums dates back from his Inter Milan days, when Mancini was Inter?s boss in 2007. In his early days in Serie A, Inter football news was rife with ?Super Mario?s disciplinary problems. Eventually when Mancini left Inter Milan, his insolence and flagrant audacity was too much for the next manager Jose Mourinho to tolerate, leading to his suspension from Inter Milan?s first team in 2009.
This new misconduct at the training ground is coming just days after the striker agreed to withdraw his fight against the English football club?s decision in a Premier League tribunal to slap him with a fine of two weeks? wages for multiple disciplinary issues.
Inter Milan fans will remember the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2010, when, after the referee blew the final whistle Balotelli (then at Inter) took off his jersey and threw it onto the ground in a fit of rage at Inter fans who had jeered him for his lacklustre performance. Enraged fans had then even tried to accost him after the match. In that same year while still with Inter he again irked his home fans when he appeared on an Italian television show clad in an AC Milan jersey.
Tottenham?s Scott Parker would be in a position to sympathize for his namesake at Man.City, who was the target of the Italian?s latest misconduct. Last January, the FA had banned Balotelli for a violent kick against Parker.
The list of ?Super Mario?s indiscretions is a much longer one than his on-field excellences. Manchester City fans like Balotelli for his goals and his critical assists. But every so often he is in the news for things other than his football. The sooner this explosive Euro 2012 finalist shores up his game and tones down his antics, the better it will be for him as well as Manchester City.
Source: DSG
Source: DSG