Another training session at Manchester City and yet another, well publicised spat involving Mario Balotelli and a team-mate. First it was Jerome Boateng on the receiving end of a Balotelli blow followed by Carlos Tevez becoming the fiery Italian's second victim on the training ground. Most recently, it was Vincent Kompany who, following a strong challenge by the Belgian international, reacted badly, almost coming to blows with the centre-half only for Yaya Toure and James Milner to intervene and calm the situation down.
It is the latest in a long-line of incidents involving the former Inter Milan striker who has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons more than he has been hitting the back of the net in a City shirt. With a red card on Dynamo Kiev wing-back Goran Popov, similar to that of team-mate Nigel De Jong's challenge of Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final, the £23m man has racked up a disciplinary record similar to that of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira while his post-match celebrations in last month's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United added fuel to an already burning inferno.
As for his off-pitch antics, along with his training ground incidents, Balotelli has had fair share of insane acts during his time in England. He has racked up over £10,000 worth of parking fines while the Maserati he picked up the fines in has seen it impounded at least twenty-seven times while he has admitted to throwing darts at youth team players where, fortunately, nobody was hurt.
It is becoming more and more clear that manager Roberto Mancini is losing his patience for the self-proclaimed, second best player in the world (behind Lionel Messi of course). The Citizens are having a great season with a Champions League spot all but secured along with an FA Cup final to play and with Balotelli acting the way he is, the temperamental Italian is doing all he can to wreck the Manchester City foundations from the inside.
His six goals in fifteen games have barely seen him live up to his expensive price-tag while his performance in the 2-1 victory over West Ham at the weekend left a lot to be desired from a player who won the Golden Boy Award in 2010, an award bestowed up those who have been the best player under the age of 21 for that year and one where second placed Jack Wilshere was a player Balotelli had never heard of.
It is a big shame for the player himself because he clearly has the confidence in his own ability which is what any striker needs especially when they play at the highest level. Whether City put up with it for much longer is another matter altogether however. AC Milan have been credited with a serious interest and if the problems persist as they have been, the club may find it difficult to turn them down. Balotelli has even admitted that a sit-down with former World Cup winner Ronaldo would put him on the straight and narrow and, if City are serious about keeping Balotelli on their books, it may be a wise move to give the now retired striker a call.
If not, the striker may find it difficult to find any club to take him permanently. Having already been dropped by Italy manager Cesare Prandelli following the above incident with Popov, it won't be long before clubs lose interest in a player who some will see as too big a risk to take for the individual. Either way, the City hit man needs to review his attitude and begin to make amends for his previous mistakes otherwise the career of Mario Balotelli will forever be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Anyway, I have got to go.
Laters,
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