Mario Balotelli [On the Road to Ballon d'or)

[SB]

Paul Kelso @pkelso 14m
£50,000-worth of kit in 24 hours. How Mario Balotelli is already paying his way at Liverpool #LFC https://medium.com/sky-news/353f7fadf1b6 …

Impessive

[fah-q]

Not quite sure where Conte is finding 4 better strikers in Italian football but his loss is our gain.

He got a one match international ban from the WC so probably the reason he's not been included in the italian squad

Happens quite often when a new national coach is put into place. Usually a move to appease the press and get them onside. There was quite a bit of negative rumblings about Mario in the press after the WC.

Of course it doesn't help that every single Italian person in the history of the world; men, women, children and pets, are racists. Slinky's obviously a complete bellwhiff

[CAD]

Imagine the frenzy when he actually starts scoring. He looks like an absolute bargain. Let's hope he stays mentally healthy. Great work yesterday for sure.

[Muddled]

Paul Kelso @pkelso 14m
£50,000-worth of kit in 24 hours. How Mario Balotelli is already paying his way at Liverpool #LFC https://medium.com/sky-news/353f7fadf1b6 …

Just another £15,950,000 to go. At this rate, his fee will be paid by 16 July 2015. If sales demand remains on the same course of course.

God I'm bored.

[RedReet]

Paul Kelso @pkelso 14m
£50,000-worth of kit in 24 hours. How Mario Balotelli is already paying his way at Liverpool #LFC https://medium.com/sky-news/353f7fadf1b6 …

I never understand these figures. So did these say 1,000 people buy an LFC top just to get Balotelli on the back and if he didn't sign wouldn't have got one with someone like Johnson () instead?

Also figure seems quite low. Was that for lettering alone?

[Chris]

Loooong interview, quite interesting though. Was before the World Cup.

Mario Balotelli, a striker for the Italian national side and Serie A club Milan, is one of the few footballers whose name is known by people with no interest in the game. That broader, bigger image is only partly driven by his talent. Still only 23, with a string of successes and controversies already behind him - many of which were generated after playing for Manchester City between 2010 and 2013 - he has become almost as well known for his off-field exploits as for his on-field skill, though he is at pains to say most of the things written about "Super Mario" in the tabloids aren't true.

When he arrived for our meeting in Milan, he was late and looked grumpy. He was driving a red Ferrari and tossed his keys and diamond rings to his agent to look after while he did a photoshoot, first for Puma, then for GQ. So far, so diva. But very quickly a different character emerged. True, he could be a little snappy, and when lunch came, he wanted to eat alone.

Over several hours, however, I saw a Balotelli who was accommodating, funny, easy-going and thoughtful when we sat down for the interview. His answers were considered - especially about his role as a footballer and a cultural figure as he prepares to represent Italy in the World Cup this month. He was fascinating about his identity and passionate about the racism that he believes lies behind the way he is projected through the media. Balotelli was particularly vocal on this last point, in fact, saying that most black men suffer "without the advantages of being an international footballer".

Super Mario, indeed.

Alastair Campbell: Do you miss England?
Mario Balotelli: Sometimes I do, yes.

What did you like about England?
The quality of the football, the atmosphere in the stadiums, the crowds, the intensity of the game.

Which do you think is the best league in Europe?
I think the Premier League. Winning it with City was great.

Will you be back in England one day?
[Smiles.] Maybe.

Manchester must have been a bit of a culture shock.
It was difficult for me at first, because everything was so different, but then little by little I got used to it and it was OK. I was there for football and the football was amazing, and at Manchester City we had people from all sorts of cultures, some of them maybe closer to mine than England, like France, Spain, South America. I liked the mix of cultures. Even if the press got into my private life too much, my life off the pitch, I could be happy for the football.

You were already quite a big name, but England was where you became something more, a bit of a phenomenon. How did you handle that?
I didn't have to handle anything. I had English TV at home but I never watched English TV. There were lots of English papers but I never read English papers. I heard about the crazy stories because my team-mates would tell me about them and have a laugh and a joke about them.

You must have been aware you were different, otherwise why did you lift up your shirt to reveal the "Why always me?" message?
That was the time I had the accident in the house when a friend let off fireworks. It was the week of the derby match against [Manchester] United, and all week going around the place United fans were taking the piss out of me, so I just decided if I score, I will do something a bit different, and that's what I did.

Does it bother you that you get more media attention than most players?
I would prefer it not to be at the level it is. I would prefer it was only about football and that we would be talking football not what the media say. I am not bothered about the media; I care about football. But the English press, they just tried to show Mario in a bad light.

Literally every time I leave the house they write about me

I hear the Italian media are always on your case...
I don't like it, honestly. I don't like the character they created off the pitch. In theory, to combat all this, I would have to disappear in my private life and appear publicly only on the pitch. But it's impossible. I have a life too; I go out, I have a girlfriend, I go to restaurants, I have friends, a family. The thing is, literally every time I leave the house, they write something about me, something good or bad or wrong or right, but they always have something to say. I don't think it's my fault. And I don't understand why they invented this character.

At Euro 2012 you scored your first goal [of the tournament] and Leonardo Bonucci [defender for Italy] ran up to you and put his hand on your mouth. What were you going to say that he was so worried about?
I'd played a few games, and I'd played them well, I think, but I hadn't scored. That's all. And I was under pressure, people were writing about me having to be kept on the bench. So when I finally scored I wanted to tell them that this was my job, that I could do this. I wanted to say, "You always talk a lot, now shut up." I was angry.

Are these different characters? The character that they created, the one sportswriter Brian Phillips calls "MARIO BALOTELLI!!!', and you, the man, do you feel they are the same?
No.

Why so much media hype then?
Because Mario moves money, sells newspapers, and [appears on] covers of magazines. And that Mario is not the nice, sweet Mario who's with his family.

So you do have to worry about handling it?
It's difficult, but I'm getting used to it. It was more difficult a few years ago. I have to be more careful. My life has changed a bit - whenever I move, I have to plan it ahead, and anticipate what might happen, even if I only want to go buy a T-shirt.

In England the public seemed to like you. Didn't you feel the love when you were at Manchester City?
Yes, I did. I did feel the people liked me, but they still had opinions based on stories that just weren't true.

Such as?
Escorts in my house.

Not true?
No. Throwing darts at youth players...

I thought that was true?
[Shakes head.]

Are there any of the myths that you heard about and thought, "I wish I had done that"? Like the one about giving the homeless man £1,000?
They said I was coming out of a casino. I had never been inside the casino.

But you gave the man the money?
Mino Raiola, Balotelli's agent: It was £400. I was with him. It was £400. They mix up their stories all the time.

Do you feel special, Mario?
I feel like a special person because I feel I have something inside me that my family passed to me and I can pass to other people.

Namely?
Respect and love and joy.

But what makes you special, what you are as a footballer or as a man?
It is both. The way I play, people are happy to see me, many people. And the few people who really know Mario, they are proud of me.

I support Burnley...
Burnley?

Yes. Don't tell me you haven't heard of them?
I don't think so.

They've just been promoted. You'll be playing us when you come back to the UK! Anyway, I have watched you a lot, and you never seem happy.
When I play, I really concentrate. It is concentration.

But surely when you score you could celebrate? Roberto Mancini, he said even when Mario scores a hat-trick, why can't he celebrate?
Yeah, and I told him. It is because I am not him. Maybe I celebrate when I get home!

What, with the life-size statue of yourself?
No, because the statue is in Brescia. We are talking about Manchester.

So I watch football, I play in charity matches, I played with [Diego] Maradona, and the thing is if I scored a goal, even playing in a park, I want to celebrate.
Ah, in a park I am the same. On Xbox, if I score, I celebrate. But not on the pitch.

But are you happy when you score?
Yes, I am happy.

Are you happy when the fans sing your name?
Yes, I like that. It's nice. [Big smile.]

You can hear it, yes, even though you're concentrating?
Yes, sometimes I hear it.

But you still don't look happy.
I am happy at the way I play. I don't have to smile to be happy. Happiness is about how you are inside.

Sometimes you seem like you're almost out of the game, and then you'll do something incredible in a second.
That's who I am. When I play I don't think about what I can do, or how to manage my energy. I mostly think about trying to score goals and help the team.

So what do you actually think about when you're on the pitch?
When we're on the attack, I look for space. Like, "I should go there", or I think about where to go now so that I can attack some empty space later. I'm mostly thinking about being dangerous. When we defend, I think about what the coach tells me and where I should go.

The coach's words are in your head when you play?
Yes, totally. Instinctively, I might want to do a specific thing, and, depending on the situation, I might stop doing it or I might do it even quicker depending on what the coach tells us. And this relationship between my instincts and the coaching is very helpful to me.

What's your natural instinct when you play?
My instincts are to attack as best I can. To be dangerous. I think defences often put themselves in particular positions and players like me, who are very instinctive, might break a defence's systems because we do things that are more unpredictable.

Why did José Mourinho [who managed Balotelli at Internazionale after Roberto Mancini left] say you were, "unmanageable"?
Who said that?

José. You know he did.
He jokes a lot. He likes to joke around.

Who was a better manager, Mancini or Mourinho?
No, I don't want to get into that. I like them both. I liked Mancini and I liked Mourinho.

Could you be a manager?
A manager? Me? No. I am too young.

But when you're older?
No. No way. [Laughs.]

If you were a manager, how would you manage you?
Don't treat me differently.

I read you said that only Lionel Messi is a better player than you?
I never said that. Never said it. There are many great players, players better than me right now.

So who's the best player?
I don't want to get into that, but there are great players, really great players, the best for me are [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. [Radamel] Falcao is a great player but he is injured.

Clarence Seedorf [Balotelli's current manager at Milan] has described you as a "sweet boy". What do you think about that?
I don't know, I'm not very good at describing my own character. But the few people who really know me will say good things about me, I'm sure. And those who don't know me can have their opinion.

Who will win the World Cup?
The best team.

Which is?
[Laughs.] One of the best teams.

Do you watch football on TV?
No.

Do you watch videos of yourself?
Sometimes, to try to learn, improve. Movement, technique, things I can do better.

Are you improving? Are you getting better?
I think so, yes.

Now, I know you don't like being asked about this, but that crazy back heel against LA Galaxy [Balotelli was through on goal and, instead of shooting, did a backheel trick which missed the goal, and Mancini substituted him immediately] - care to elaborate?
[Groans.]

What were you thinking?
I thought the referee had blown. I thought I was offside.

Were you surprised to be hauled off?
Yes, I was. Strikers have missed worse goals. I was not even trying to score, I thought the game had stopped, but I understood, because Mancini thought I was trying to score like that. I tried to explain but...

How many times, both in your life and in your career as a footballer, do you think you have been a victim of racism?
A few times, sure. In my life certainly, and in football yes.

Italy is not like England is it? In Italy there are not so many black men growing up as Italian. So are most black guys here subject to racism?
Yes.

Worse than England?
I don't know about this.Racism is everywhere. Maybe it is more open here, or in Spain. There are racists in England but I think they hide it more.

But you never experienced overt racism in England?
No. Not open, no. At City, just after I joined, we were on a plane going on tour somewhere, and I looked around and I realised there were more black players than white players on the team. That was a big difference. That was kind of amazing. In Italy I was often the only one.

A colleague from GQ Italy was saying he does not think the Italian media would be on your case so much if you were white?
I don't think so, too.

In Italy people aren't used to seeing successful young black men?
They aren't used to seeing people who are different, not white, who act not as rebels but normally. So if they act normally, they seem like they are being rebellious. I think what the ignorant people don't like is that people who are different are allowed to act that way. So these stupid people, they get angry with me. They say horrible things. But I haven't done anything different from other people. I have made mistakes, like everyone does. And I have always paid for my mistakes. I think that if I was white, yeah, maybe some people would still find me irritating or annoying, but it wouldn't be the same. Absolutely not.

So there is an element of racism to the way you are treated?
Absolutely, there is. But that's the way it always is. Jealousy is a horrible thing, but when this jealousy is towards people who are different from the majority, and who maybe also have more than you, then it becomes anger, it becomes rage. And that's the overt racism.

So white football players who act like you don't get treated like you?
You're right, but I don't want to dedicate this interview to ignorant people. We can talk as much as we want, but all you have to do is let them talk. The only thing we need is for smart people with good hearts to get together and be united, and these idiots will go away. Or, I don't know, maybe they'll stay there, but there will be less of them.

Why not talk about it?
I don't talk much. I know people are fighting this thing, and it's important. But, in the media, every time I have talked about this subject, people talk about it for three or four days, but then everything goes back to normal. So, either there is something really strong for all of us to do, some real movement or real action, and in that case I will be the first guy to participate. But if it's just talk, I'd rather not. Because we can talk about it as much as we want, but things don't change that way. When there will be something real, and strong, to really help people and society, and really help people who have less than me - because I get hit with racism, and I suffer, and it hurts, but at the same time I am lucky enough to have a lot, and some people don't have a thing, nothing at all - then I will help, for real.

Don't you think that, because of your visibility, you could do something about it?
Yes, I do. But these are serious things that you really have to think about. It's not a question of thinking about whether to do something like this or not. I know I want to do something. It's more about how we do it to be effective.

Or maybe you could achieve this effect just by winning. Like the World Cup.
It's really sad to think that we can change Italy only by winning the World Cup. I hope we can change things even if we don't win it.

But are you conscious that you can be a cultural figure? Like when France won the World Cup, and everyone was saying it was the birth of a new multicultural France?
Are you asking if you think I can change this society?

Yes.
I hope so. There are many young guys like me who have a tough background, and they deserve to be lucky.

When you played against Naples this season, you were substituted and you cried on the bench and there was an avalanche on Twitter saying it was because you were racially abused again - true?
No, it wasn't that. It had been a hard week for me [Balotelli had acknowledged paternity of his ex-girlfriend Raffaella Fico's one-year-old daughter, Pia, for the first time] and I had been under a lot of pressure, and as I came off it just built up and it was like a bomb.

Do you cry a lot?
No.

That was very public.
Men cry.

I wondered if you felt a sense of rejection because you were taken off?
No, it wasn't that. It was just pressure inside, building up, then needing to find a place to go.

How will Italy do in the World Cup?
We have a good team. We have some great players. We are well motivated. We can do well.

Do you see yourself as a team player or as an individual?
I used to be an individual, definitely. Now I think I am more for the team. Tactically, and in terms of my role within the team, I'm a different player, especially compared to the start of my career. I think I'm a more useful player now.

What is it like for you when you are just walking around Milan?
I am very private. Sure, I like cars and I like clothes, and I might look like I like being looked at, but I don't really. I prefer to be with friends, my girlfriend, my family, not the public.

So can you walk down the street without being bothered?
No, no way. No chance. That is why I don't live here. I live well out of Milan, and commute every day.

What about if you go to France or Germany? The same?
Pretty much. People know me.

Do you ever like being approached, and people just want to talk to you?
Sometimes sure, people are nice. But I don't like being the centre of attention. I know I look like I Iike it, but I don't!

So why do you look like it?
It is the way I am. I dress the way I am. My hair is the way I am. You know, lots of people talk to me and they come and speak to me and they think I must be stupid because of the way the media is and they are shocked when I am not stupid.

Are you shy?
I am, yes.

Are you political at all?
Political? No.

Your real parents were from Ghana. Do you feel a sense of connection with Ghana?
Yes, but I have never been. I have never been to Africa.

You must, you must go. That would be wild.
Everybody tells me that. We help a school there but I have never been. I am going to go. I really want to. The thing is I was not allowed by law before. I was born in Italy, my parents were from Ghana, if I had gone there, I would have needed a visa to come back.

Because you were fostered not adopted?
Yes. So I wasn't allowed till I was 18, because when I was 18 I could become Italian. But I am African first. I do not say I am Italian and Ghanaian, I am Ghanaian and Italian.


But you play for Italy?
Yes, I was born here. Italy has given me my life, my culture. But I am African; just I have not been yet. I am black. That is the first thing you see. My natural parents are African, but I have lived most of my life with Italian parents and Italian culture so I am Italian but in my blood I am African. I feel Italian because I have everything from Italy but I feel African.

Do you have any sense of what it could be like going to Ghana? Have you seen the pictures of Didier Drogba when he goes to the Ivory Coast?
I have. I don't think it would be like that.

Do you feel a sense of extra responsibility because you are often viewed as a symbol?
No.

But you go with the team to see the Pope and you are the one taken off into a room with him. Was that not just a bit weird?
I asked him if he wanted to play poker.

You didn't?
[Laughs.] No, I am joking.

But why did he choose you for a private session?
I asked and he said yes.

So what did you talk about?
It is private. I went there for my mum, it was something between me, the Pope and my mum. It was just me and him, but it was for my mum.

So you have told your mother what he said?
I am not saying. I just can't say.

You've played some of your best games in the Italy shirt. How does it feel to wear that shirt?
It's a bit different, because you're playing for your country. It's a different responsibility. I'm not saying I don't give 100 per cent when I play for my club team, but when you play for the national team, it's like it activates some extra part of you, a part of you that is not there when you play for the club.

So how much do the fans have an effect on you when you play?
A lot. Not so much opposing fans booing you, but when you play for your team at home and your fans chant for you and you've got a couple of nice moves or are on a good momentum, it really helps to keep you going. It gives you extra strength.

Do you think that both here and in England - with football still meant to be a working-class sport - that the gap between the players and the fans has grown too big? You make so much money, you are all so famous and fêted, the gap has grown, people can't identify like they did?
I think it has changed. Before, I think fans used to really love players, really love them, whereas now it is more that they love the club, and as soon as the team loses then everyone turns on the players because they say we are so well paid and stuff, but the players want to win too. It is just that when the result is not what they expect, they get angry with you, like we didn't try, like we don't care like they do.

Would you have been a footballer if the money had not been as it is?
Definitely.

Is money important to you?
Money is important to everyone. But I would have been a football player even before all this money started to go around. I love football. I loved it always. I liked volleyball too, on the beach. Beach volley.

Men's or women's?
Mixed! Men and women vs men and women. [Laughs.]

Did you always think you would be famous?
I always knew I was good at football, and I knew I would be a footballer, and I knew that footballers get famous. So yes, I always knew.

Do you remember a specific moment when you thought, "Wow, I'm good"?
After the Juventus game in Coppa Italia. I scored two goals. I never thought I could score against Juventus and I scored two!

What changed after that?
I was a bit more confident. Before, I thought it was a dream, and after that it became reality. I always wanted to be a footballer and I knew it would be my career. But before that game they were just words, and after that game it was a fact.

I noticed when you took your shirt off you had a "Jesus" tattoo. Are you religious?
Yes, I am.

Catholic?
Yes.

I also noticed a while back you tweeted about trusting no one except your family. Do you mean that? Do you think nobody can be trusted apart from family?
If you have your family, you also have God.

[Rich]

God, I'd forgot about this

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5cQ3HIst8"]Mario Balotelli missed a trick (failed backheel) in front of goal vs LA galaxy - YouTube[/ame]

[Mostar]

The lad done good. Cheers Mos as always.

No problem SB

[Mostar]

An encouraging debut - 4 decent chances and with more composure he could easily have scored 3 of them!

Nailed on for Anfield debut goal in front of the Kop.

He desperately wanted to score on his debut which affected his concentration somewhat but the fact that had all those chances is very promising.

Still lacks full match fitness and will need little bit of time to adopt to how BR wants him to play and to adjust again to speed and physical aspect of PL but I thought except his finishing he had a good game over all.

[Mike]

Do you see yourself as a team player or as an individual?
I used to be an individual, definitely. Now I think I am more for the team. Tactically, and in terms of my role within the team, I'm a different player, especially compared to the start of my career. I think I'm a more useful player now.

Interesting read that Chris

The way Balotelli played vs Spurs shows that he seems to be more of a team player. I've never seen him chase things down as much, make runs off the ball to create space for others, playing through team mates. He even marked on a corner!

Early days but you can see that he is less of an individual than perhaps when he was at City, and that is only going to benefit us.

[Chazza]

[ame]https://twitter.com/LFCTS/status/507880767217598466[/ame]

[Paddy]

"Apparently Balotelli kicked a Wolves player in the friendly match today then got subbed off. "

[Pablo]

Apparently Balotelli kicked a Wolves player in the friendly match today then got subbed off.

Pass it on.

[Norbs]

Who was the match between?

[Rowan]

Has anyone heard anything about today's friendly with Wolves? Apparently he kicked a Wolves player then got subbed off!!!