Palermo-born Mario Balotelli had the chance to don the colors of FC Barcelona ten years ago. Ten years since his failed trial with the Blaugrana followed by multiple disappointing spells at some of Europe’s elite clubs, Balotelli sits in anticipation as two fallen giants contemplate his future.
On the evidence of this season, Balotelli has merely been a fringe player at Milan. Losing out to a younger, more energetic striker in M’Baye Niang, Balotelli has clocked just six starts of Milan’s 35 league games up to this point, amounting to 689 minutes in total.
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He has enjoyed some playing time in recent weeks primarily due to the season-ending injury suffered by Niang, who had comfortably sealed a starting spot in the first-team beside Carlos Bacca. The solitary league goal against Udinese in late September makes matters considerably worse for the Italian.
Two league goals in two seasons is a worrying statistic for a player of Mario’s caliber. What’s gone wrong with this maverick forward?
A mercurial rise that failed to settle down
Balotelli is not one to shy away from controversy. His troublesome attitude off-the-pitch and his indifferent attitude on it alerted football clubs across the continent. Although his talent is not in doubt, there have always been questions and critics galore. Given his well-etched history, it is easy to presume that the Italian’s failings were largely driven by his behavioral problems. Oddly, that might only be half-true.
At Internazionale, the boy that Balotelli was, ruled the footballer he was becoming. Loaded with prodigious potential and sparking continent-wide envy, Balotelli had announced himself as, unquestionably, the brightest attacking talent to emerge since Antonio Cassano. Perennial discord with the Inter coach at the time, Jose Mourinho, coupled with widely disapproved outbursts on the pitch led to Balotelli packing his bags for Manchester City.
Balotelli arrived in England in August 2010 and brought with him a baggage of tantrums and tricks that didn’t fly well with the English media. Balotelli stirred enough controversy to keep journalists up at night. With his goal tally being marginally better than his card count, the suits at City wholeheartedly agreed to cash in on him, sending him back to Italy.
His first stint at AC Milan continues to be the best period of his career so far. His indelible contribution in terms of goals helped the club secure a Champions League berth. Gradually, however, his performances waned as did his goals.
Milan had to cash in on an asset with fading value and with Liverpool coming up on some money from the sale of Suarez, Milan identified a taker.
The enigmatic striker was back to England as he moved to Anfield in August 2014 for a sum of £16 million. Milan pulled a fast one on Liverpool by squeezing the English club of a few million more than Balotelli’s form had suggested.
The Reds realized the con the hard way, as Balotelli managed a meager return of four goals in 28 games, which included just one league goal which he scored in the home win against Tottenham Hotspur. Exasperated by his lack of form, Liverpool shipped him back to Milan on loan for one season.
Balotelli reigned back on the tomfoolery, amending his behaviour at Milan this season. A behaviour-based clause was allegedly inserted into his contract while re-signing for Milan, which might have kept him in check. But, along with the legalities, it is hard to look beyond the fact that Balotelli has grown-up and arguably matured. When played, he remains one of the most fouled players in the game. The change in his behaviour is predominantly reflected in the manner in which he responds to these niggling challenges.
Judging Balotelli on the basis of the hyper-sensationalized stories is easy. However, to adequately gauge the player and assess his shortcomings, the appropriate parameters should be established.
Change in demeanour?
As a forward, Balotelli will invariably be evaluated on the premise of the number of goals he scores. Under ordinary circumstances, this would be a meritorious argument. In Mario’s case though, an additional layer of consideration must be laid.
An analysis of Mario Balotelli’s heat maps would constantly suggest that Mario rarely ventures into the penalty box. He principally operates between the edge of the final third and the edge of the box. Does this mean Balotelli is a trequartista, a no.10?
No, Balotelli doesn’t necessarily aid in creating chances. Nor is he a defensive forward, hassling defenders on the ball. Balotelli, unlike most players in his bracket, is a quasi-forward. He plays in-between the lines, permitting attacking midfielders to run into space ahead of him.
The most successful quasi-forward in modern football is Luis Suarez. But, unlike Mario Balotelli, Suarez makes his presence felt in the penalty box, yielding enviable goal tallies. Balotelli possesses all the attributes of a goal-scoring centre-forward. If only he would play in the box more often.
In the words of Silvio Berlusconi, “Mario has unmatched athletic attributes. In training, I see him take shots that break the net and he shows outstanding ball control. Several times I have said to him 'Mario, do you want to win? You need to score to win and to do that you have to get close to the goal'.
Can he make it?
With the Euros around the corner, Balotelli might feel spurred to bring out the best in him before the end of the season. The dearth of quality strikers in the Italian squad is evident with the likes of Eder, Graziano Pelle, Simone Zaza and Ciro Immobile wearing the blue. None of these players can match Balotelli’s flair and artistry. Mario is streets ahead of his competition.
Antonio Conte though appreciates graft over craft, attitude over ability. Balotelli has corrected his behaviour to a large extent, but his damning form might prevent him from boarding the plane to France in June. Nevertheless, the competition is unlikely to keep him from regaining a spot in the first-team in the long-run. If he were to return to his explosive ways (on the pitch), Mario can quite easily spearhead La Nazionale’s attack in Russia come 2018.
Balotelli’s star-power is at an all-time low. The biggest clubs are no longer queuing for his signature. But, his career is far from over. Relatively smaller teams (not without ambition) would gladly onboard him. Teams such as Fiorentina, Everton, Lyon and Villarreal might be bidding adieu to their star forwards in the summer and will be scouring the market for a replacement. Few better than Mario might prove to be an upgrade.
Mario Balotelli is at a crucial juncture in his career. Entitlement is a thing of the past. Mario must earn his stripes on merit.
