5 players who are trolled more than they deserve

#3 Mario Balotelli (Nice)

Balotelli has scored in any league he's played in

The tales of the crazy Balotelli are a modern-day legend by now: he fired air pistols in Milan with friends; he threw darts at a youth player at Manchester City; he set his own house on fire the day before a Manchester derby. While these and his persona have helped the Italian to gain a cult following, Balotelli is equally derided in the media for being highly overrated as a footballer. He frequents lists of overrated players consistently; he's often mocked for the downward spiral in his career.

These ignore his statistics, which back up Balotelli's talent. The only truly poor season he's had come at Liverpool in 2014/2015, when he scored just 1 league goal, but he had a troubled relationship with his manager Brendan Rodgers during that time.

He now plays in France for Nice, perhaps a side below his ability level, but Balotelli has delivered anyway. He scored 15 league goals last season and has 14 this campaign so far, both great returns. The relative quiet of Nice has allowed Balotelli to focus more on his football and it shows.

At 27, he still has his peak years ahead of him to return to the true top of European football and one wouldn't bet against him. He may not have truly lived up to the immense expectations on him since he burst onto the scene at Inter Milan but his career is far from the joke many made it out to be.