A week in the life of Mario Balotteli is no ordinary week. The Italian began the week littering the front pages, before finishing it on the back pages, and both for all the wrong reasons. For all the stories that have evolved throughout the season, this maverick character, signed from Inter Milan last summer for £25m, has taken his behaviour to an all-time low, leaving manager Roberto Mancini admitting that enough could finally be enough.
Balotteli began the week admitting an affair with prostitute Jennifer Thompson, formerly linked with Manchester United hero Wayne Rooney, insisting that it was better to admit than hide his debauchery. To make matters worse, the Italian, of Ghanian descent, then managed to crash his white Bentley, forcing more media coverage, something that he seems to revel in, despite his best attempts to paint a modest image of himself in a recent rare interview with music legend Noel Gallagher.
But the stories have escalated all season, a season in which Manchester City seemed to be set to bridge the gap between their ever-successful rivals United, something that is now so far out of reach and largely down to the kind of temperament portrayed by Balotelli. From fireworks set off in bathrooms, to broken curfews to turning up at the press conference of new Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni, completely unannounced, Balotteli never seems to be far from trouble.
On October 23rd 2011, 'Super Mario' scored two goals in an emphatic 6-1 victory for the blue half of Manchester over their bitterest rivals at Old Trafford, the home of the Champions and the likely winners of this season's title. On that particular day he revealed a slogan on his t-shirt reading 'Why Always Me?' which is something that we have all been left wondering ever since. Despite a decent record of 19 goals in 39 games at the Etihad Stadium, Balotelli has become increasingly frustrating, with his input in games largely innocuous, strongly conflicting with the grit and determination of the likes of Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, who have been integral in City's push for the title.
Perhaps pre-season was an early indicator of this erratic psyche, whereby, when clean through on goal against La Galaxy, he opted to spin around and attempt a back-heel, to which Mancini immediately substituted him in disgust. And on Sunday evening, Balotelli showed the dirty side of his game, as he could have merited two red cards after scything into Alex Song of Arsenal, before three late tackles on Bacary Sagna culminated in two bookings, as Mancini looked on in despair, before later admitting that he may be sold in the summer.
Gary Neville recently drew comparisons with another maverick-figure, and one he himself worked with: the legendary Eric Cantona. Neville discussed, in his role of Sky Sports pundit, how Cantona was a colourful character, yet he managed to hone it in, allowing his personality to seamlessly flow with his flamboyant playing style. And his character was expressed with countless moments of magic and last gasp winning goals that made him the Manchester United idol that he still remains. Balotelli, on the other hand, is still yet to come close to demonstrating these traits, as his unpredictable and erratic temperament has gone hand in hand with City's capitulation in the title race.
If, as predicted, the red half of Manchester are revelling in a 20th title in May, a great deal of the blame will surely be placed at his door.
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