Mario Balotelli was one of the most talented players to emerge in Italy this century, but hasn’t reached the level of the world’s best over the past 15 years, mostly due to his rebellious nature. His career peak came during the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, where he scored three goals—two of which were in the semifinals against Germany in what was arguably the game of his career. Many believe he missed out on being the tournament’s best player only because Spain thrashed Italy in the final (4-0). After four years of wandering between Switzerland and Turkey, “Super Mario” is back in Italy. Now 34, he has another chance to show what he owes the game for which he was born. He’s signed with Genoa until the end of the season, aiming to help the team in their fight to stay in Serie A. It remains to be seen whether he can still make a difference at this stage, especially given that he’s been training individually since leaving Adana Demirspor.📝 Mario Balotelli è un nuovo giocatore del Genoa Mario Balotelli è un nuovo giocatore del Genoa. L’attaccante italiano, nato a Palermo il 12/09/1990, ha firmato il contratto con il suo nuovo club. In carriera Balotelli ha vinto nove titoli a livello professionistico con le… pic.twitter.com/dkf54qgpUZ— Genoa CFC (@GenoaCFC) October 28, 2024 Balotelli’s exceptional talent has seen him play for giants like Inter, AC Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Marseille, while his “other side” led him to clubs like Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor, Sion, and now Genoa—without disrespect to these institutions. At Inter, he scored 28 goals in 86 games across all competitions, while his most prolific season came in 2017/18 at Nice, where he netted 26 goals in 38 games. For City, he scored 30 goals in 80 matches, and he was also productive at Milan, scoring 30 goals in 54 appearances. However, in the last five years, he’s only had one season with double-digit goals, in 2021/22, with Adana Demirspor, where he scored 19 goals. In Italy, he last played for Monza in Serie B, scoring six goals in 14 games. Last season, he had significant issues, missing two and a half months due to knee surgery and ending his time with Adana after a suspension that kept him out of the last two matches.His wish might come true: Balotelli returning to Serie A?Coach Alberto Gilardino will see how much he can rely on Balotelli, who has only been training individually since the end of last season. Balotelli played 36 games for Italy—a surprisingly low number, given how much he could have helped the national team. He scored 14 goals, with the most memorable being those mentioned from Warsaw’s National Stadium, where he struck twice against Manuel Neuer. His last appearance for the “Azzurri” came in July 2018 against Poland in the Nations League, a match in which he disappointed both the crowd at Renato Dall’Ara and then-coach Roberto Mancini. He hadn’t been called up since. Balotelli first appeared in 2010 as a “golden boy” of world football in a friendly against Ivory Coast, scoring his first goal a year later against Poland in Wrocław. Today, Mario was at Genoa’s training session. The boyish phase is gone from his face, now marked by rougher features that reveal his age. Perhaps with this new maturity, his attitude toward the game will be more serious. He personally tried to assure everyone that he’s highly motivated to prove himself in the Rossoblù shirt and could make his debut as early as Thursday against Fiorentina in Serie A.##NAJAVA_MECA_8444460##
