Mario Balotelli: Italy’s Summer 2010 Transfer Saga

It’s not a summer without at least one transfer saga. And in Italy this summer, the transfer news is mostly about Mario Balotelli. Two years ago, Roberto Mancini (now at Manchester City) unleashed a then 17 year old Balotelli onto the scene scoring two goals vs. Juventus in a Coppa Italia game, although I had already read about him months before that as he was dominating Italy’s Primavera league (like the reserves in England, but only U-20 players are allowed to play) at his young age. Unfortunately, even though Balotelli is extremely talented, he also is extremely crazy. He doesn’t have the best personality to put it lightly, and that has impeded his short career so far. If he had the personality of say Roberto Baggio or Alessandro Del Piero for example, he maybe would be Italy’s best player at the moment. Unfortunately he does not.

That’s not to undermine his talent though, because flat out Balotelli is a sublime player. He can be compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has sublime technique and a rocket of a shot coupled with incredible physical strength, and he has the same “confident” (let’s call it confidence) personality as the Swede. At the age of 19, he has scored more goals in Serie A than players like Francesco Totti, Roberto Baggio, and Alessandro Del Piero scored at his age. Mancini left Inter, in came the strong hand of Mourinho, and even though Mourinho knew Balotelli was a talented player, he didn’t give the talented striker special treatment. Instead, Balotelli with his thick head had his quarrels with Mourinho over the past two seasons and even was frozen out of the squad a couple of times. This strained his relationship with the Milan club, and he hasn’t had the best relationship with the fans.

Italians realize his potential and how strong Balotelli can become, but unfortunately at the moment his head is stopping his progression. He is always in the press and everything he does is closely scrutinized. There is at least one news article a day on Balotelli in the Italian press. And now, this summer, he has become embroiled in the transfer rumors. He seems like he wants to try a new experience and leave Italy. He’s tired of being criticized and scrutinized constantly and wants to start on a new slate. Depending on what you read, it’s really unsure whether Inter want to keep Balotelli. Someone says he has no price, then another person says he can go for 40 million, then another says he’s staying. Who knows anywhere. This will probably last a summer.

Apparently, the English trio of Manchester United (Ferguson apparently wants to transform him into the new Cristiano Ronaldo), Manchester City (with old friend Mancini), and Chelsea (Ancelotti said he would like to coach Balotelli) are interested in his services, with the two Manchester clubs leading the pack. I actually think Manchester City would be the best fit. He has Mancini to help him get acclimated and the English game is good for Balotelli’s playing style (although his diving needs to stop). And most importantly, he’ll have a clean slate. Most of the English press don’t know him, and English fans either know him from youtube, playing Fifa or Football Manager, or a couple of appearances in the Champions League. He won’t be constantly scrutinized or followed (at first at least) and maybe his talent could finally flourish. It will be interesting to see what happens, this is one transfer saga that must be followed.

Where will Balotelli go?customer surveys

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Category: England, English Premier League, Europe, Leagues, Serie A, World Football