A long time ago when I was writing for FootballFancast I did a piece on Mario Balotelli.
At the time there was a lot of talk of him coming to the Premier League to either Arsenal, West Ham or Chelsea and fans of each team met the speculation with as much apprehension as glee. The same stories of him being a problem child, and more trouble than he was worth continued to circulate and it wasn’t unmerited.
Bad behaviour on and off field as well as the now infamous incident which saw Balotelli, an Inter Milan player, don an AC Milan shirt as well as declare his love for i Rossoneri added fuel to the fires that raged against him but one thing was his saving grace throughout all of this.
Balotelli was an awesome talent.
At just 19 Balotelli is one of the premier talents not only in Italian football but also world football. Technical as well as an awesome physical specimen it’s easy to understand why many people have patience with the precocious talent. Inter legend Beppe Bergomi sang his praises after a performance last season against Genoa and he wasn’t the first and won’t be the last.
Now he is being linked with United I am sensing the same apprehension from United fans too.
But in joining United there is a twist, a fresh start in a new country with a different kind of manager could see Mario live up to his nickname and actually become “Super”. When talking about Balotelli and how such a talent should be dealt with I drew likeness with Fabio Capello and Antonio Cassano but if we are to look at him in relation to our own club only one player springs to mind.
It’s no secret Gazza was seen as the one that got away by Sir Alex Ferguson and many feel Sir Alex could have the person to straighten him out and prevent the problems that now plague the once talent footballer’s life now, Gazza included. Balotelli’s case isn’t as bad as Gazza’s, for as emotionally immature as Balotelli is it must be remembered that he is persecuted in his adopted country to a disgusting extent.
Juventus fans especially have been known to goad him even when he isn’t playing chanting, “If you jump, Balotelli dies”, something any person let alone a 19 year old should never be subjected to. Whilst those are just words there have been attempts by Inter fans to physically attack him so in leaving Italy he will face a fresh start away from the harsh critique of Italy. A fresh slate not only with his manager but also the fans as well as the press who in Italy have preconceptions when it comes to dealing with him.
Everyone talks of Arsene Wenger’s track record of working with youth but realistically if there was a manager to sort Balotelli out very few would be picked ahead of Sir Alex. Balotelli is the epitome of a rough diamond and for all the time and effort it would take to cut and polish his rough edges and exterior, the end result would be extremely edifying not only in terms of on field results but in terms of personal achievement for the club.
Despite reading this there will be many who still say his trouble isn’t worth it but I disagree, many of the players we regard as greats were far from perfect and many of them missed a Sir Alex in their career to put his arm around them when the situation called for it as well as to give them an earful if need be.
If we are in fact pursuing at Balotelli as it’s being reported don’t look at it in a negative sense, I feel Old Trafford and Sir Alex Ferguson could really get the best out of an already good player, benefiting both parties involved.
Balotelli is no doubt a tremendous talent and its hit or miss with a signing like him. He may settle down and become a professional of the game or he could stay just how he is now. Despite how harsh the Italians can be he compounded many of his problems himself. It is true that Fergie is well versed in educating young footballers on the total aspect of the game on and off pitch but Balotelli could prove to be a very difficult case. Will the club be willing to spend money on a potential problem child? With our debt i doubt they will want to pay much.
He has potential to be one of the top players in the world. He needs the right club and more importantly the right manager. At Manchester United he could find a real home with a great manager. However I don’t see Ferguson being interested in another striker. Although Balotelli is an exciting 20 year old, we have Hernandez and Macheda already. I think those two strikers will be given the chance to stake there claim and become integral to the squad. They are both raw, and perhaps don’t have the natural ability of Balotelli, but they are still quality. I keep saying we need a creative midfielder to unlock defensives, but I can’t see a player out there we might actually sign anymore. I’m guessing we will not make any more signings this season. Its a risk if I’m honest, but I will support Ferguson decision.
Great piece Chudi!!
Good stuff, Chudi! Well, Cassano is still known as a pain in the arse. He’s worth it if the price is right, but the notion of paying 30M quid for the unfinished article is worrisome. On the other hand, I’ve watched a lot of Eredvisie football and Suarez is a an old-school macho who retaliates any time he’s wound and got a lot of yellow cards, so he’d be risky, too.
Another case of wondering how much truth there is in the rumours. I think he does need someone like Fergie, and English fans are generally less harsh (and less racist) than Italian fans.
It also begs the question if we need another forward, but if he played anywhere near his potential it wouldnt matter if we had 15 forwards waiting for a chance ahead of him.
Plus, his size is would be a great asset.
As a man city fan its nice to see man u fans bigging up citys next signing
Like I said Spam Face I rated him at Inter and will rate him at city, he’s a good player. Probably won’t win anything with you lot though.
City will sign him and he’ll be caught wearing united kit, how many champions league winners are in citys squad ? Bellamy? No! Barry? No! adebayor? No! tevez? Yup but in a red shirt! Toure! No! toure? Yep! de Jong? No! ireland? No! wright phillips? N!o lescott? No! silva? No! Given? No!………and on and on and on!!!!! and same again next season! Maybe some Europa league medals though!
money, invest in quality and real soccer jerseys sales. You will find them fashionable and trendy. If you budget allows, I strongly