Italian striker Mario Balotelli has finally spoken out about his time at Anfield. Having endured a miserable two seasons at Anfield, where he managed to score only a single league goal, the former AC Milan striker has accepted that he didn’t get on well with his managers.
He stated the decision of joining Liverpool, as “the worst mistake of my life”.
The Italian, making his debut in the French Ligue, went on to score a brace for his new club Nice. Balotelli spoke to French television station Canal+ about his time at Liverpool and how he had a difficult time in England. He complimented the fans who he felt supported him in his time and also spoke about an understanding with the players.
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He didn’t mince any words about his managers Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp, whom he felt didn’t make a good impression on him. The two goals on debut for his club Nice were enough to overtake his league tally at Anfield.
"I had two coaches, with Rodgers and Klopp for a short time, but neither their methods nor their personality left me with a good impression. I never really felt right there," said Balotelli.
The Italian had arrived from AC Milan in the summer of 2014 for a sum of £16 million. Rodgers, on his initial purchase, had termed the purchase as a “gamble”, which in hindsight turned out to be disastrous for both the club and the player. Considered as one of the finest players when on song, Balotelli has had his fair share of run-ins with his managers.
Coaches like Jose Mourinho have described him as “unmanageable” and his public antics when he was at Manchester are far more remembered than his performances for Manchester City’s inaugural Premier League title. His mentor Roberto Mancini has often called him crazy and he is a headline grabber when it comes to pranks.
Capable of winning the Ballon d’Or
Having been on such a high after the Euro 2012, Balotelli would have been expected to do more justice to his talent. Speaking in an interview with former France, Leeds and Roma midfielder Olivier Dacourt, as reported in BBC Football, Balotelli was asked if he still considered himself a candidate capable of winning the Ballon d’Or.
The Italian in his nonchalant way replied, "Of course. It's not too late," he said. "I think I could have already won it by now, but by working hard in training I could still win it in the next two or three years.".
On Sunday, the Italian’s brace handed his side a 3-2 win over Marseille, lifting them to second position in the Ligue 1 standings, albeit on goal difference. Nice dominated possession and both teams registered double figures in terms of shots in the game. Ultimately, it was the accuracy of Nice that proved to be the difference as Wylan Cyprien’s long-range winner clinched them all three points.
Here is a video of Balotelli’s first training session with Nice.
