“Chill out, little brother” – Marco Materazzi reacts hilariously to Balotelli claiming his quality is at ‘same level’ as Ronaldo and Messi

Former Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi had a hilarious take on former teammate Mario Balotelli comparing himself with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Balotelli said that his abilities were on par with the two greats. The Italian was quoted as saying in this regard:

“I am 100 per cent sure that my quality is the same level as these people, but I… I missed some chances, you know? It happens. Nowadays, I cannot say I’m as good as Ronaldo, because Ronaldo won how many golden balls (Ballons d’Or)? Five? You cannot compare yourself to Messi and Ronaldo, nobody can. But if we’re talking about only quality, football quality, I have nothing to be jealous of them, to be honest.”

In response to these comments, Materazzi took to Instagram stories and responded:

"Chill out, little brother"

Balotelli's career is a classic case of 'what if?' The Italian was one of the most lethal forwards during his three seasons at Manchester City. He scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for City, and also provided the assist for Sergio Aguero's title-winning goal in 2012.

The Italian has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including AC Milan and Inter Milan. The 31-year-old is currently playing for Adana Demirspor in Turkey. He has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 25 appearances across competitions for them.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had contrasting fortunes in 2022 so far

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi joined new teams during the summer of 2021. The Portuguese star left Juventus to return to Manchester United, while the Argentine left Barcelona to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

Both made contrasting starts to their ongoing campaigns. While Messi struggled to get used to his new surroundings, Ronaldo scored goals galore for United. However, their form has reversed since the turn of the year.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo has scored just once in his last ten games for United. That goal came against Brighton & Hove Albion in a 2-0 Premier League win at Old Trafford in February.

There have been talks that he might leave Old Trafford this summer if United fail to secure Champions League football next season. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is still United's leading goalscorer this season, having netted 15 times in 30 games across competitions.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is enjoying a revival of fortunes at Paris Saint-Germain. After a slow start, the 34-year-old has become a creative force for the Parisian giants. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has contributed a goal and six assists in his last five Ligue 1 games.