Enigmatic. Charismatic. Talismanic. Bonkers.
In Mario Balotelli Manchester City seem to have got themselves a man who would quite easily make a certified lunatic look like a sane and rational individual. Balotelli has only been bringing his own unique sense of fun to the Premiership since August 2010, yet he has already managed to generate more off the field related headlines than most of the rest of the City squad will manage in their entire careers, and the scary thing is Balotelli is still just 21....
His famous incident in a warm up where he struggled manfully with putting on a fiendishly difficult training bib, for most players would be the story that would be what they were remembered for; with Balotelli it is not even likely to be in the top five stories that will become his legacy. When one thinks of Balotelli the memories that jump to mind first are things like fireworks in the bathroom. Apparently though he also plays a spot of football in his spare time, when he has nothing else on.
However rather than criticise Balotelli we should celebrate him for what he is; truly unique. In today’s world of 100% politically correct actions and scripted interviews you need men like Balotelli to bring a bit of colour and fun back into the world. The vast majority of Balotelli’s ‘adventures’ have been naive, unwise or just plain bonkers but not fuelled by malice or a fundamentally unpleasant character. While incidents such as throwing darts at a youth player are unacceptable, if he can learn to stamp these out, he could be on course to become a Premiership legend.
We need men like Balotelli, his interview after FA Cup triumph is evidence of this. The vast majority of players would have churned out some pre-prepared, toeing the line statements about hard work, desire etc. Balotelli, however, it appears was absent on the day Manchester City covered media relations, (perhaps he was busily engaging himself in another fireworks related interior design project). After winning the FA Cup he concluded on national TV that prior to this moment his whole season has been ‘s**t’, it was only after this brutally honest assessment that it occurred to him to wonder aloud that he might not be allowed to say that.
Quite apart from the obvious amusement Balotelli must bring to football fans and newspaper editors alike, I would imagine he’s quite a good laugh to have as a team mate as well. Balotelli is after all the man whose own unique take on brotherly bonding was to drive with his brother into a women’s prison ‘for a quick look’ or who was allegedly to be found on Christmas Eve driving around Manchester dressed as Father Christmas giving out money. Don’t get me wrong, Balotelli is outrageously gifted as a footballer but he brings more to City than just that. He brings fun. Happy players do well for you. If you think back to the French team at recent tournaments, where without fail, the entire squad seems to reliably manage to fall out with each other, you see what happens when team spirit collapses. Unhappy players fail.
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