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AC Milan’s Italian forward Mario Balotelli celebrates after scoring a penalty during the Italian Serie A football match Torino Vs AC Milan on September 14, 2013 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin. (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)
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Who else but him? The man who until recently was more famous for his off-field antics rather than his brilliance on the pitch. Burning down his own house, arguing with a police officer, driving into a women’s prison to have a look around, throwing darts at a youth team player – these are a few of the strange things that Mario Balotelli has done.
However, leave all this out and his footballing performances still left a question to be asked. His discipline? Making rash tackles, fighting with his own team mate over a free-kick, and being called ‘ unmanageable’ by Jose Mourinho; all this was two years ago. Since then, he has become one of the best young strikers in the world. While everyone, remembers Aguero’s goal in the 94th minute of the final game in the 2011-2012 EPL season, it was this fellow who provided the assist for it after being brought down.
That very season, he was nominated for the Ballon d’or, but his Euro 2012 performances were the most eye-catching . He scored a brace against Manuel Neuer in the semifinal, of which the first goal was called extra-ordinary. He unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside the box, which was even applauded by Manuel Neuer himself, who was left clueless.
An agile and powerful player, he is often nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ due to his pace, acceleration and ability to fend off defenders. He is a set-piece specialist and till date has a perfect record of never missing a penalty in his professional career.
In last season’s winter transfer window, he sealed a move to Milan and has since let his feet do the talking. This year he helped them qualify for the Champions League and has had a good start in the league. In his first World Cup at Brazil in 2014, you can expect fireworks on the pitch from him, and I hope that he leaves his mark.
