Was Balotelli Too Immature To Handle Superstardom?

By Antonney Oduor

‘It’s a dream come true. It’s a long time I wanted to come here but I couldn’t but now am here and am happy. ‘It’s great to see Mario Balotelli happy, he is arguably the most talented Italian player of this generation but in recent years he has moved from teen to tin. And now he is having a difficult season more of racist abuse and a team fighting relegation. What is really happening to Super Mario?

Mario Balotelli busted into the scene at only 17 with Inter Milan. Skills, confidence, goals. He had it all, he was competing for game time against superstars like Eto’o and Zlatan yet he was so filled with confidence that he would ignore senior players and take penalties and free-kicks himself as a teenager. Some say Zlatan even learned to be confident from Super Mario.

Balotelli helped Inter to win 3 straight Serie A titles wins and a champions league. He won a premier league and a fa cup with Manchester City. During his seasons at City one of his coaches, Roberto Mancini said Mario could be one of the best strikers in the world. His peak came at 2012 Euros Mario really shone, scoring two goals against Germany in the Semifinals. No one will ever forget his iconic celebration but Italy lost in the final and 22 this could be likely the best of Mario’s career yet.

Unfortunately, Mario never reached a world-class level. After some ups and down in England he joined a team that he supported when he was a young boy in Ac Milan. The fans were extremely happy. But Balotelli’s time in Milan wasn’t a success and the next few years were filled with moves and bouncing between teams. Sold to Liverpool and back to Milan on loan, signing for Niece and then Marseille. He never settled or even succeeded anywhere he went. Since 2015 he has made only three appearances for Italy. Hence Balotelli never reached the Balloon D’or podium. He has faced many racist incidents throughout his career. It was so sad that he said before Euro 2012 he would kill anyone who threw a banana at him. He was targeted by the media and some of his coaches may not have understood the discrimination he faced and how a person feels. But they have also been doubts about his attitude and willingness to work for the team.

‘If we have someone like Mario who struggles to put himself at the disposal of the team, then Brescia is not in a position to support him in that role.’ Fabio Grosso, former Brescia coach 2018.

He was often involved in incidents that attracted media attention. Like he threw ducts at a Manchester City youth player or got smoking at Liverpool’s locker room and once he left training to drive a kid in school and confronts the kids bullying. How will I tell my kids these Mario Balotelli? This paged the question, was Mario immature too to handle superstardom, or was he poorly advised with his agents.

For a fresh start, Mario signed with his hometown Brescia in 2019 but his early tenure has been met with a lot of struggles. Racism from the fans and even the team owners, a relegation battle, and difficulty with the team starts. Not yet 30 Mario talent is there for everyone to see. In a career with huge eyes and huge loans. What’s next for Mario? Can he return to the national team and would he ever be comfortable in the Italian league?