CONTENTS
Introduction
Part 1 - Super Mario: the blossoming of a legend
Part 2 - Mary Hannigan's Sideways View
Part 3 - Thus spoke Mario: Memorable Quotations
Part 4 - Stats and Facts
Mario Balotelli is a young footballer from Italy who currently plays in England for Manchester City. He's talented and he's mad.
His coach at Inter, Jose Mourinho, described him as follows: "The guy has incredible qualities, but sometimes does not know how to use his brain." (The Offside)
This page is dedicated to his exploits. *Updates will be added sporadically from the top of each section.*
Mario scoring and creating goals
It's worthwhile remembering he's faced (and is still facing) significant racial abuse from "football fans". An eye opening Vanity Fair piece is worth a look while the Guardian has also written a decent article on the subject. See also Let's Kick it Out.
With that in mind let's press on.
Mario and Noel Gallagher *new*
Noel Gallagher is a City fan. What are his thoughts on Balotelli?
"I absolutely love him. Football needs players like him because most footballers are basically squares, and he’s not. He’s got something about him. He’s a total f*cking rock’n’roller. His hairdo is unbelievable. I love him and if I ever meet him, I’ll kiss him. On the f*cking face." (Broadsheet)
Mario and clothes (8) *new*
After scoring the first goal in an Manchester Derby (it finished 6-1 in City's favour), Balotelli stopped, turned, and revealed a secret shirt displaying the words "Why Always Me?". His own words after the game: "I did it for many reasons. But I’ll leave it for other people to figure out what it means. I’m sure people can work it out. Chappy, our kit man did it for me, I told him the words and he printed them. He is a good guy Chappy, one of the best." (Daily Mail)
Mario and ammunition (5) - improv flame torch *new*
Not sure what's going on here.
Mario with smoking women (2) *new*
He's still at it.
Mario with smoking women (1) *new*
Mario's manager, Roberto Mancini... "For me it is not OK but I am not his father. If he were my son, I would give him a kick up the arse but he is not my son. I have told him it is better that he doesn't smoke because I am always against cigarettes and that's why my son doesn't smoke. There are players in Italy who smoke and some over here but I don't think he smokes a lot – maybe five or six a day." (The Guardian)
Mario and ammunition (4) - rolling pin swords *new*
After breaking Manchester City's curfew for a curry (fine of £150,000), engaged in an impromptu mock sword fight, using rolling pins as pretend swords. Dangerous. (Eurosport)
Mario and clothes (6) *new*
The average temperature of Manchester is half that of Italy. Balotelli is still adjusting.
Mario visits... (3) *new*
...a school (again), this time to use the toilet
Balotelli (now driving a Bentley) parked his car in a school car park, walked into the canteen asked pupils where the facilities were. Wee done, Mario headed off to the staff room for a chat and then proceeded to stroll around the playground while being mobbed by cheering schoolkids. Here's a twitpic of Balotelli's car uploaded by one of the students.
Mario visits... (2) *new*
...a school to confront a bully
Balotelli...
...sees a schoolboy hanging around Manchester City's training ground looking for autographs.
...finds the kid's mother to see he wasn't going to school.
...discovers that the kid is being bullied at school.
...drives kid and mother to school in his Maserati.
...demands to see the headmaster and the bully in question.
...mediates a shaking of hands ceremony between the buckos and speeds off to save yet more kids from bullying (and improve his rep through more PR stunts).
According to "a source" in The Sun, "Mario feels strongly about bullying and thinks it's out of order."
Mario is the face of fire safety in Britian *new*
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is fronting a campaign to promote fireworks safety, days after his bathroom went up in flames after a firework was set off in his house... Balotelli said: "I didn't set any fireworks off, it was a friend of mine. Luckily, nobody was injured, and my friend apologised to me for the damage to my house. It was a really stupid thing for him to do, someone could have been really hurt, and I was really, really angry with him about it."
He added: "It is an important message that children should not mess with fireworks. They can be very dangerous if they are not used in the right way. People should follow the firework code."
Mario and ammunition (3) - fireworks *new*
Balotelli's house caught fire after he shoot fireworks from his bathroom window. "Two fire crews using breathing apparatus put out the flames after being called to Balotelli's house just before 1am on Saturday to deal with what has been described as "a substantial fire" on the first floor. The property, in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, sustained serious fire and smoke damage, and the police were also called – in part to ensure Balotelli did not go back into the house. The striker is said to have been reluctant to leave his belongings and, at one point, to have run back inside to recover a quantity of money and a suitcase." (The Guardian)
Mario visits... (1) *new*
...a women's prison with his brother
"He said they saw the gate opened and never imagined they would need a special permit to visit the prison," said the guard who halted Balotelli in his tracks. "The two were particularly intrigued by the fact it was a women’s prison." "Mario has done nothing wrong," insisted his agent, Mino Raiola.
"Indeed, the officers have praised him for his initiative." (Irish Times)
Mario and ammunition (2) - water bombs
"Having been given the night off by his club for 'family reasons', Mario Balotelli was caught on camera throwing water bombs at a meeting of Serie A club chiefs in Italy on Monday while his Manchester City team-mates were on their FA Cup victory parade." - The Sun
Mario and clothes (5)
Balotelli's committment to Manchester City has been called into question in recent weeks but if his hat is anything to go by we say he's City through and through.
Mario's Website has cartoons of himself
Check out Balotelli's official website for a cartoon gallery of his move to Machester City and lots more!
Mario's reaction to his team-mate's reaction to the bib of destiny
Following Edin Dzeko's homage to Balotelli and the bib of destiny (see below), our favourite footballer went for some friendly payback. NB Dzeko (not Balotelli) scored the winner in the game.
Mario's team-mate (Dzeko) reacts to the bib of destiny fiasco
Balotelli and clothes don't gel with the greatest of ease. Following the fiasco that was Balotelli with the bib of destiny (see below), Balotelli's team-mate Edin Dzeko decided an homage was in order. Hats off to you sir.
Mario and clothes (4)
Apparently Balotelli saw nothing wrong with wearing an AC Milan jersey while he was an Inter Milan fan. Now really Mario...
Newcastle's darling Alan Shearer upset BBC's blandest when he refused to wear a Sunderland shirt for charity. Wonder why Balotelli didn't do the same.
Click here for a video of him wearing the jersey (skip to the end)
Mario and clothes (3)
Snood with complementing pirate gloves. Aarrrh! (Telegraph)
Mario and ammunition - darts
"Manchester City's Mario Balotelli is set to be fined a week's wages of £100,000 after he threw darts out of a window at youth team players, reports The Sun."
- Goal.com
Mario and clothes (2)
The bib of destiny
Mario on Arsenal darling 19 year old Jack Wilshere
"What's his name? Wil ... ? No, I don't know him, but the next time I play against Arsenal I will keep a close eye on him," Balotelli said. "Perhaps I can show him the Golden Boy trophy (for best young player in Europe) and remind him that I won it." (Guardian) In case you missed it, Wilshere won the PFA Young Player of the Year last year...
Mario and clothes
"The London-based hand-knitting website, Grannies Inc, meanwhile, has offered to make versions in a choice of 24 different colours for from £80." (The Telegraph)
Mario and his grass allergy
"Mario had an allergy, I don't know what, his face was swollen, I don't know why. He wanted to play in the second half but he had this problem 10 seconds before coming out."
- Balotelli's coach, Roberto Manccini reacts to the news that his new £24 million professional football player is allergic to grass (Belfast Telegraph).
Mario and red cards (2)
Balotelli occasionally gets a little ticked off. Commentators are never impressed when Mario is sent off.
Mario and his indestructible legs vs Francesco Totti
I spose it's safe to say Totti was a tad frustrated, but look at those legs survive!
Mario and team-mates taking penalties
Balotelli likes to score goals. That's why he plays. If he's not allowed take a penalty he becomes... disgruntled.
Mario and red cards
Sometimes Mario takes a breather in the middle of a game. Sometimes this is adds to the frustration of referees who respond with red cards. Click here for the video.
As Mary Hannigan is the best sports journalist going, her take on Balotelli's eventful career is worth a gander.
All text is copyright to the Irish Times, see dates and links provided.
Monday, May 16, 2011 (after Manchester City won the FA Cup)
"****ing brilliant man, ****ing get in there," Liam Gallagher told ESPN in a revealing post-match interview that prompted Kevin Keegan to tell us that Liam "is passionate about Manchester City". "I heard him recently on a radio station telling Mario Balotelli to sort his head out – pot, kettle," Craig Burley noted after popping up at ESPN’s pitchside breakfast bar.
Monday, May 2, 2011
A VERY nice story appeared in the Sun recently about Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli, the first time in quite a while the fella’s had a bit of positive press.
According to a friendly “source” the Italian “is really generous - he always hands £20 notes to the Big Issue boys without even taking the magazine”.
And after winning £25,000 (€28,000) at a Manchester casino Balotelli gave £1,000 (€1,250) to a homeless man as he left the establishment.
“The tramp couldnt believe his luck. It was enough to keep him going for months,” said the source.
It’s a heart-warming tale, it has to be said, but it would have been a bit better for Balotelli if the source had left this bit out of the story: “(The homeless man) was outside the club in the early hours so Mario handed him a wad of notes after his big win.”
His City employers’ might possibly have deduced that if the homeless man was outside the club in the early hours when Balotelli gave him the money, then, well, Balotelli was outside the club in the early hours too.
Monday, April 11, 2011
"There is a Milan style of behaviour that I don’t think is very close to that of Balotelli. I don’t think his style suits us."
– Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi berates Mario Balotelli for his off-the-field behaviour. Honest, we haven’t made it up.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Balotelli wants an audience with his idol: Brazilian balm the only cure for Mario
"INTRODUCE me to (the Brazilian) Ronaldo and I swear I’ll behave to the end of my playing career," promised Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli last week after yet another spell of on and off-the-field trouble.
First there was that sending off against Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League, the player later getting out of his car outside the ground to have a ‘word’ with Kiev supporters.
And last week he was accused of causing a rumpus in a restaurant by chanting "Rooney! Rooney!" across the room at the lady with whom the United man had a bit of a fling last year. And then he blew a raspberry in the face of her companion, like you do.
And that’s just the gist of it. Meeting Ronaldo, though, would, he promises, change him. "I never met him, so you know when you see the idol of a lifetime it can change your way of thinking? There are many great players, but Ronaldo was the greatest and so one word from him is worth a thousand from the others. I already behave myself fairly well, but I’ll try to stop doing those stupid little things. It happens. You’ll soon see the real Mario on the field!"
That’s good to hear because the fella needs to calm down and just concentrate on his …. wait, breaking news: "Mario Balotelli is the subject of yet another disciplinary inquiry at Manchester City after the striker was caught throwing darts at the club’s youth team players, according to reports. The People report the 20-year-old threw the darts from a first-floor window because he was ‘bored’." Ronaldo was in London yesterday, for the Brazil v Scotland game – you can only hope City drove Mario down to meet him.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Balotelli following: in the footsteps of his experienced Manchester City role model
When Mario Balotelli was sent off in last week’s Europa League game against Dynamo Kiev for inserting his studs in Goran Popov’s midriff it was good to see one of his senior Manchester City team-mates offer him some sound advice.
“He is a young boy of 20 and he has to learn from his mistakes. I told him. Everyone told him. He is a very good player but has to realise, on a professional level, you sometimes have to change your mentality.
“We are there to help him, not to criticise him or blast him away. He has experienced guys around him and he has to listen to them.”
Well, based on Nigel de Jong’s chief contribution to last year’s World Cup final, it looks like he’s already a role model for young Balotelli.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Mario's brother enjoys the sights: Balotelli keeps busy
Eleven games, eight goals, four yellow cards and one red – Mario Balotelli, currently out of action with an injured knee, has had a lively old time of it since joining Manchester City. And that’s just the on-the-field stuff.
Off the field he’s been busy making friends with his new neighbours in a swanky apartment building in the centre of Manchester. “One day my brother Giovanni was in the street, looked up and said to his girlfriend: “How nice, Camilla. Look, they’re doing fireworks in Manchester.” But it was me, shooting them off from the ninth floor.
“The neighbours adore me, though. When I score they stick little congratulatory notes to my door. At Christmas they presented me with bottles of wine. But I do not drink.”
While not setting off fireworks the fella occupies most of his time by giving interviews that usually land him in a spot of trouble. Like last week. “His English stinks,” he said of his City boss Roberto Mancini. “But it is improving. But Mancini is lucky. He has an owner who only asks him: ‘What do you need?’” He half rescued himself, though, by praising Mancini’s coaching abilities.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Planning application: Looking to get into hot water
According to the Sun , Manchester City’s Italian striker Mario Balotelli applied for permission to build a balcony on the side of his €2.5 million penthouse in the city to house a €6,000 neon-lit hot tub. Hey, which one of us hasn’t? Sadly, the application was rejected, but not because the council feared a starkers Mario would be visible to his neighbours, rather that the balcony would have altered the structure of the building. Players have slapped in transfer requests for less.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Off message: Balotelli impressionist causes a stir
EVEN Mario Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, was stunned to learn that he was declaring his love for Napoli on an Italian radio station last week, in what sounded worryingly like a come-and-get-me plea.
Considering he’s only played 33 minutes for his new club Manchester City this all sounded a little hasty. “I was in Naples for a week this summer and the affection that I got from the people can’t ever be compared with that towards me from elsewhere,” said Mario.
Would he like to play for Napoli? “Right now I am a Manchester City player and I am happy there. But in the future, never say never. I always carry the people of Napoli with me in my heart and the holidays I spent there were unforgettable. They were full of emotion.”
Mino, you’d imagine, almost choked on macaroni. But, hopefully, he was right as rain when he heard Mario was, in fact, impressionist Gianfranco Butinar. Spare a thought for the Napoli fans, though, especially any who went out and got “Balotelli” printed on the back of their replica shirts.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Balotelli breaks in: Mario pops in to women's prison
He might only be 20 but they probably have enough material already to make a movie about Mario Balotelli’s life, Manchester City’s (currently injured) former Inter Milan striker rarely experiencing a dull moment, especially off the field.
In the past 10 days alone he’s been in trouble twice, the second time when he gave the finger to the crowd during his return to the San Siro for Inter’s game against Juventus. No one, though, was too sure which set of fans he was greeting, his relationship with both is equally, well, frosty.
His escapade last week with his brother, though, will remain hard to beat, the pair spotted driving through the gates of a women’s prison.
"He said they saw the gate opened and never imagined they would need a special permit to visit the prison," said the guard who halted Balotelli in his tracks. "The two were particularly intrigued by the fact it was a women’s prison." "Mario has done nothing wrong," insisted his agent, Mino Raiola.
"Indeed, the officers have praised him for his initiative."
Well, true enough, you have to be fairly resourceful to break in to a prison.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Balotelli turned on by AC: Manchester not such a super city says Milan-fan Mario
A knee injury has restricted Mario Balotelli to just one appearance for Manchester City since his move from Inter Milan last month, the player returning to Italy for surgery. It might be an idea if City ship him back to Manchester pronto, though, because the fella seems to making eyes at AC Milan.
"Forza Milan," he shouted at reporters from his hospital window, which presumably went down nicely with his former Inter buddies. "What’s wrong with that?" he said in a radio interview, "if I like Milan, what can I do about it?"
He tried, though, to reassure his new employers of his commitment to the City cause, but in the process was a bit rude about Manchester architecture when he pointed out that "if I was looking for the nicest house in the world, I wouldn’t have come to England".
Meanwhile, Balotelli’s trip home got trickier still when a woman by the name of Melissa Castagnoli turned up on Italian television to announce that she was "dumping" him, news that might have been of interest to his current girlfriend.
"She was never my girlfriend," he insisted, "everyone tries to use me for publicity so they can be in the newspapers."
But when asked what he’d do if he had his time over, he half hinted he may actually have been familiar with Melissa after all.
"I wouldn’t spend time with silly girls who just want to use me for publicity. I prefer to be alone than with such brainless people. Evidently I must be stupid as well, as I keep on finding these girls." City? Good luck.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Mario's world: That's rich
There was a fine yarn doing the rounds last week about that crash involving Manchester City’s new signing Mario Balotelli, when his Audi R8 collided with the car of a fella who happened to be a City season ticket-holder for the last 25 years.
Upon arriving at the scene, the story goes, the police breathalysed Balotelli – it was negative – and then questioned him about the incident.
At this point they noticed a large wad of cash sticking out of his back pocket. How much? Just the £5,000.
The police, it would seem, failed to recognise the fella because they asked him how a 20-year-old could have that amount of cash on him.
His reply? "Because I am rich." Well, they did ask.
Monday, August 30, 2010
BAD TRAINING DAY: "AUDI do that," asked the News of the World yesterday under a photo of the bashed up Audi R8 Manchester City new-boy "Mari-D’oh Balotelli" crashed on his way to training on Saturday. You’d have to imagine the club, having paid out €30 million for the fella, would be less than pleased that he insisted on bringing his "cherished left-hand drive" with him from Italy. As the paper put it, "Vorsprung durch wreck-nik"
Monday, August 23, 2010
Numbers game: Cunningham’s kind deed
MARIO BALOTELLI’S move from Inter Milan to Manchester City was put in jeopardy by his request that they pay him €220,000-a-week, the deal finally going through when he settled for a quid or two less. Any pals of Greg Cunningham who have in their possession a City replica shirt with the Galway teenager’s name and number should probably ask Balotelli for a quid or two themselves, as compensation for the shirts now being obsolete. "I have worn the number 45 all my football life and wanted to carry on here at City," said the Italian. "Greg was kind enough to swap."
"I didn’t have any problem with that at all," said Cunningham, "I had no real attachment to it except I made my debut wearing it. I’ve taken on number 22 now, which is Richard Dunne’s old shirt number, so I’ve big boots to fill."
Ferrara shocked by young abusers
AHEAD of Saturday’s 2-1 win against Inter Milan, Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara was asked about concerns that the club’s supporters would racially abuse Inter’s Mario Balotelli. Insisting that the club had done all it could to "calm this situation", Ferrara said he was against all forms of racism, "just as I am against all types of insults against anyone".
"I remember being upset and confused when I first came up to Turin to play and heard all these chants against ‘dirty’ Neapolitans."
What shocks Ferrara more than anything, though, is when those dishing out the abuse are kiddies.
"When I see a child go to the stadium with his parents and make nasty hand gestures at opponents, I don’t understand how that can happen. If my child did that, I’d give him a slap," he said.
Just as well he didn’t get his hands on this Feyenoord supporter a few years’ back.
And Finally
"I must be absolutely honest here, when I played against (Mario) Balotelli – and he knows this – I wanted to kill him. Now that he is my team-mate, I still want to kill him."
– Mario's former Inter Milan team mate Diego Milito.
"All my season was shit. Can I say that?"
- Mario's reply on live TV after winning the FA Cup when he was asked to sum up this triumphant end to his debut year in England
"Mourinho is the best coach in the world, but as a man he still needs to learn manners and respect. [Roberto Mancini] is the most important coach I’ve ever had. He’ll soon become the No 1 in the world. But already now, in terms of human qualities, he is two kilometres ahead of Mourinho. Wait, make that ten kilometres."
- Mario comparing his former coach Jose Mourinho (at Inter Milan) with his current boss Robert Mancini (at Manchester City).
"England is far ahead of the rest in terms of stadia and far behind in terms of its media. The newspapers are just trash."
- interview in Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Roo-ney! Roo-ney! Roo-ney!"
- *allegedly* what Mario chanted at Jenny Thompson (the prostitute Wayne Rooney slept with) in a Manchester restaurant.
"Our attack of Balotelli-Tevez-Dzeko is the best in the world – better even than Barcelona and Real Madrid. We are the strongest and we can win things now – we just lack conviction."
- Mario on the superiority of the Manchester City attack (55 league goals in 2010/11 season) vs Real Madrid (102 league goals) and Barcelona (95 league goals).
"Who else would have won it other than me? There is only one [of the former winners] who is a bit stronger than me – [Lionel] Messi. All of the others are way behind me."
- after winning the Tuttosport Golden Boy award.
PART 4 Stats and Facts
*as of 22 May 2011*
*as of 22 May 2011*
| Name | Mario Barwuah Balotelli | ||
| Born | 12 August 1990, Palermo | ||
| Nationality | Italian | ||
| Playing Position | Forward | ||
| Club Career | |||
| Year | Team | Apps | Goals |
| 2005-2007 | Lumezzane | 2 | 0 |
| 2007-2010 | Internazionale | 59 | 20 |
| 2010-present* | Manchester City | 15 | 6 |
| International Career | |||
| Year | Team | Apps | Goals |
| 2008-2010 | Italy U21 | 16 | 6 |
| 2010- | Italy | 2 | 0 |
| Honours | |||
| Serie A (3) | 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 | ||
| Coppa Italia (1) | 2009–10 | ||
| Supercoppa Italiana (1) | 2008 | ||
| UEFA Champions League (1) | 2009–10 | ||
| FA Cup (1) | 2011 |