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Super Mario World: 25 reasons why it’s always Balotelli
MARIO BALOTELLI IS heading home to Italy tonight to complete a transfer to AC Milan. He packed a lot into his two-and-a-half years in the Premier League.
1. He got a Genghis Khan quote tattooed onto his chest after scoring his first goal of the season (November 2012)
Credit: @CitizensTheBest
After opening his account for the season against Wigan, he got inked with the line: “I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” Source: Daily Mail
2. He refused to quit smoking, so his manager said it was okay as long as he scored goals (September 2012)
After previously indicating Mario needed to smoke less, Mancini said: “It’s not my problem. If Mario wants to smoke, it’s his problem. But if he wants my opinion, it is better that he quits. But if he smokes 10 cigarettes a day and scores two goals every game, then that’s better.”
3. He proclaimed that he would ‘kill’ any racists at Euro 2012 (May 2012)
4. His celebration after scoring against Germany at Euro 2012 (June 2012)
That whole ‘flex and stare’ was just a little odd. Credit: Vadim Ghirda/AP/Press Association Images
5. He got banned for three matches for getting too many red cards, after which Mancini proclaimed he would never play for Man City again (April 2012)
Here’s what the City boss had to say: “I’ve finished my words for him. I’ve finished. I love him as a guy, as a player. I know him. He’s not a bad guy and is a fantastic player. But, at this moment, I’m very sorry for him because he continues to lose his talent, his quality.
6. He randomly showed up to a press conference in Italy where a new coach was being introducing at an unrelated club, then left (March 2012)
YouTube credit: xSUHAILx
As Andrea Stramaccioni was being unveiled to the Italian media, Mario wandered into the room unannounced and introduced himself.
7. He was fined €300,000 for going to a strip club two nights before a game (March 2012)
Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini has a rule that players can’t go out on the town in the 48 hours before a match. Balotelli violated that rule by hitting a Liverpool-area strip club at 2 a.m. on the Thursday night before a Saturday meeting with Bolton. Source: The Sun
8. He stopped at a local high school in the middle of the day, used the bathroom and left (January 2012)
He also meandered around the school with some friends for 20 minutes, then left in his Bentley. Source: Manchester Evening News
9. He had a mock sword fight at an Indian restaurant while violating curfew (December 2011)
The night before a game against Manchester United, Balotelli and his friend took some rolling pins from a curry house and had a sword fight with them. Less than 12 hours later, he scored two goals in a 6-1 rout of Man U. Source: The Telegraph
10. He stamped on an opponent’s head (January 2012)
Credit: Caught Offside
Balotelli was somehow not red carded for this stamp on Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker. He did receive a four-match ban, however.
11. He revealed that ‘WHY ALWAYS ME?’ shirt after scoring against Manchester United (October 2011)
Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Archive/Press Association Images
After scoring the opening goal against Manchester United, Mario pulled up his jersey to reveal a shirt that said, “WHY ALWAYS ME?”
He has since explained to Time magazine that the slogan meant: “Just leave me alone.”
12. He burned down his bathroom after shooting fireworks from his window (October 2011)
Mario and four of his buddies were setting off fireworks last year when one hit a bath towel and caught fire. The fire brigade were called at around 1 a.m., and Balotelli had to stay in a hotel. Afterwards, he became a fireworks safety spokesman for the City of Manchester.
Source: The Guardian
13. Someone put a bag of rotting fish in his €190,000 car (August 2011)
14. He was substituted for showboating and missing a wide-open goal in LA (July 2011)
Mario had a wide-open goal in a preseason game against the LA Galaxy but instead of scoring, he attemped a twirling backheel and missed. Mancini was enraged, and hauled him off on the spot.
YouTube credit: ShrewsChannel1
15. He couldn’t figure out how to put on a warm-up bib during a game (May 2011)
Credit: Jude Norris
Balotelli became a YouTube hit when he tried and failed for over a minute to put on a bib before warming up in a Europa League game. Eventually, a Man City employee gave him some help, and he was able to get the thing on.
16. A little boy on the street told Mario he was being bullied, so Balotelli went to his school and confronted the bully (May 2011)
A youngster asked Balotelli for his autograph after traininig one day. When Mario asked him why he wasn’t in school, the kid said he was being picked on. So he drove the boy and his mother to school and gave the bully a talking to. He also met to the headmaster to discuss the issue. Source: Metro UK
17. He once gave €1,000 to a homeless man after a big win at a casino (April 2011)
He was feeling good after winning five-figures at a Manchester-area casino. So he generously gave €1,000 to a homeless man he saw when he left. Source: The Sun
18. He once got pulled over with €25,000 sitting in the front seat (April 2011)
19. He got Man City eliminated from the Europa League by getting a red card for a karate kick (March 2011)
Favored Man City were eliminated from the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev last season. During the second leg, Balotelli carelessly flew into a high tackle and caught a Kiev player in the stomach.
City lost 2-1 on aggregate.
20. He had to come out of a game in Kiev because of a spontaneous grass allergy (March 2011)
Balotelli is apparently allergic to some kinds of grass, which is problematic if you’re a footballer. Mancini said at the time: ”I came out a minute before the players and I didn’t see Mario. He then said he could play but his face was swollen.”
Mario was substituted ten minutes into the second half. Source: Yahoo!
21. He ‘pranked’ youth players by throwing darts at them (March 2011)
Mario was caught throwing darts in the direction of youth team players after training one day. Afterwards, he said he did it because he was “bored.” He was fined €120,000 for the incident. Source: Yahoo!
22. He got in a fist-fight with a team-mate during training (December 2010)
What do you do when you don’t like a tackle one of the other players makes makes in training? Fight him. Balotelli got in a bust-up with now Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng in 2010. Source: Yahoo!
23. He racked up €130,000 in parking tickets, and had his Maserati impounded 27 times (2010)
Balotelli chose not to pay attention to the parking rules when he moved to Manchester. As a result, he accumulated five-figures worth of parking fines and had his white Maserati locked up dozens of times. Source: Daily Mail
Balotelli’s ‘other’ car. Credit: Eamonn and James Clarke/Eamonn and James Clarke/EMPICS Entertainment
24. He was also hit with up €360,000 in team fines two seasons ago (2010-11)
Add together the penalties for throwing darts, showing up late, getting in fights, and drawing red cards, and you get a pretty penny. Luckily Balotelli makes $120,000 a week, so he’s still doing okay. Source: The Sun
25. He was caught trespassing at a women’s prison in Italy (October 2010)
Why always him? Balotelli and Mancini pulled apart following training ground bust-up
VIDEO: Racist abuse prompts Boateng to kick ball into stands, walk off in protest
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Ciao Eccentric Manchester City Mario Balotelli Roberto Mancini Why always him?