When Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli for £16m on a long-term deal in the summer of 2014, little did they know that they would be forced to let him go for free to Nice two seasons later just to get him off their books. Jurgen Klopp had no plans to integrate the Italian striker back in the side and he was shipped out before the transfer window closed.
Balotelli has endured a challenging two seasons in his career at Anfield and a loan spell at AC Milan. His first season under Brendan Rodgers saw him score only one goal in the Premier League all season and four in all competitions. And last season with Milan saw the Serie A club opting not to make his loan move permanent due to his poor form.
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As soon as Balotelli was let go to the Ligue 1 club, former player and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher took to Twitter to add more insult to injury claiming Nice had still ‘paid over the odds’ for Balotelli even though they got the 26-year-old for free.
Carragher is not a huge fan of Balotelli. In fact, he never was. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the Sky Sports pundit had said: “I can't believe we signed Mario Balotelli! The thing with Balotelli is everyone always says it's the off-the-field antics, but I wouldn't care if he was doing it on the pitch.”
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“People tell me he's got talent but I can't remember him having a good game. I'm praying, with all the money in the Chinese Super League, that someone is going to buy him after his loan. I don't think anyone in the Premier League will take him.
Not to be outdone, Balotelli responded in the only way Balotelli can.
Never change, Mario!
