I have never understood why clubs have fallen for his on again off again relationship with his employers. Seems like he is heading back to Italy where he has always dreamed of playing (what again?) and it is only a matter of time before he declares (again) that he has a strong desire to play in England (what again?). This latest trip back to English shores cost Liverpool 16 million pounds and for that they received a single goal and the right to supplement his Italian salary by 72K/month. His words and the obvious hardship he now has to face is difficult for me to take as he probably is a very nice guy and just the sort of player who is committed to furthering the sport, or is it just his own ego that is in his mind? I rather hope that his words don't upset any of you too much, so here they are: Balotelli is taking a pay cut to move back to Milan, with Liverpool also paying some of his wages. The Italy striker could make his second debut for the Rossoneri against Serie A rivals Empoli on Saturday. "I always had Milan in my heart and always had hope that I would return one day," the 25-year-old said. "Will I end my career here? I just have to start to work and have a good year. I'm looking forward to training and proving my worth. I have a lot of motivation but I just have to work and not speak." Now if that doesn't tug at your heart strings then I am at a loss to know what will but sadly the game is now full of these self centred idiots who only bring distaste to the sport. He is the definition of what is wrong about the money being spent on players who don't give a damn.
Undoubtedly there's talent there and that's enough of a reason for teams to keep giving him a chance to show it on a regular basis, however as time goes by, and potential morphs into 'what-might-have-been', fewer and fewer teams will give him that chance; especially given that many genuinely top managers (including Mourinho) have simply had to put up their hands and say 'it's no use, he won't change'. I think he's rested on his laurels, thinking 'I've made it', for a few years now, and his decline is picking up pace. He's young enough to arrest it, but I don't think he has the dedication or hunger to do so. In the modern game particularly, talent alone isn't enough without hard work. Sometimes it grates with me the amount of praise Gazza got for his ability, when his level of professionalism didn't match up. Similarly, I remember hearing Matt Le Tissier saying that a manager of his 'didn't care that he didn't apply himself to training, because he knew he'd deliver the goods come match day' - whilst many might say 'fair enough', if Le God had worked his arse off physically then I reckon he genuinely could have reached the very pinnacle of the sport and be remembered as an England great, rather than just a Southampton one. ...A bit off topic, but still.
He's an odd one But some of the things he does make me smile and there's precious few around that can do that Questionable motivation and work ethic but anyone sent out by his Mum to buy cleaning items for his flat and coming back hours later with a Scooter instead is good enough for me And that's without the firework episode or the £5k in cash he carried around.
There's no disputing there's talent in there, but there's also no doubting he's a bit eccentric. On form I like watching him play.
In an interview after joining Milan (again) he's stated that this is probably his last chance at a big club, and that now he'll be doing "less talking and more playing". I think he's a product of this generation of footballers; destined to fail through extreme praise and adulation at a young age.
To be honest I believe there are players with worse attitudes than Balotelli. He is most definitely eccentric but you just need to google some of his good deeds to see he isn't a bad guy
It was a gamble taken by Liverpool ths time last year that has not worked out He has ability, but I don't think he will ever be consistent
Nobody in a free society ever got hung for being an eccentric. On the other hand, if being an eccentric was Balotelli's only 'crime' it wouldn't be an issue. Cantona was an eccentric, but who would doubt his wonderful quality or his massive contribution to British football
Tainted only by his ridiculous assault on the 'fan' at Selhurst Park. Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy with the idiot who taunted him, but the reaction by Cantona was insane.
If I was rich I'd be like ballotelli. His laddish behaviour is fun to watch and he doesn't mean any harm. He is just living his life as a young rich man in a much better way than some snob who is too worried about or to have any fun. We have to remember he has had a difficult upbringing as an adopted person dealing with lots of racism.
Strange old world EH? Got more response on this one than I expected with some great comments on Balotelli and let's face it if we were all the same it would be a boring world wouldn't it?
Getting back to Gazza. I remember, if my memory is still in tact, when he first arrived at Middlesbrough he was approached by a young boy in the middle of a TV interview who asked him to autograph his football. Gazza readily went ahead and signed the ball, much to the delight of the young lad, and then promptly kicked the ball in to the river beside the stadium. Anyone else have that recollection? P.S. Is that why their stadium is called the Riverside, how innovative is that?
