A Nice Resurrection

My inspiration for this article stems from a Balotelli 79 th -minute winner against Stade Rennais. Teammate Alessandre Plea picked up the ball in the midfield, skipped past a defender, and rolled the ball down the right side ahead of Balotelli’s path. Balotelli ran onto it with poise, and the ball glided elegantly into his stride. He approached the ball with an air of calmness perfectly associated with the Italian, and struck it with thunderous power, beating Rennais’ Koubek at his near post, giving him absolutely no chance at getting a hand to it. Perhaps the ideal reaction to this game winner is “oh, what could have been.”

Mario Balotelli is one of the most engrossing personas in world football. Flashy haircuts, a heated temper, and a knack for questionable decisions have all contributed to the Italian’s eclectic character. A play that best epitomizes the unpredictable nature of his career came in a 2011 friendly against LA Galaxy. Threaded through by a David Silva pass, Balotelli was 1v1 with the goalkeeper, then casually proceeded to spin around and attempt to backheel the ball into the net, an attempt that failed miserably and trickled wide. A volley of boos rained down as the Italian departed from the pitch, and a verbal altercation with his manager all but capped off the moment.

Although it feels as if Balotelli has been in the game for ages, he is still only 27 years old. He’s played for 6 different clubs throughout his career, a testament to his disciplinary troubles and conflicting personality. His career has reached the heights of the mighty Mt. Everest, but has also traversed through the depths of the deepest places on Earth. He has endured egregious racism: ranging from monkey chants at Bastia, to banana-yielding Interistas at the San Siro. He has been sent off only minutes after his manager specifically instructed him to avoid a second yellow; he has clashed with managers and teammates; he has scored breathtaking freekicks and sublime volleys. Best of all, he’s transcended the boundaries of the stereotypical footballer and defied the concept of predictability.

Balotelli is quite the journeyman considering his relative age. He’s bounced around his fair share of clubs throughout his career, never staying with a club for over 3 seasons (a due testament to his disciplinary issues and attitude crises). This well-known fact should detract nothing from his game and all that he’s accomplished, however. There have been various periods in his career when it looked as if the Italian was truly out for the count, and other periods that leave us onlookers questioning the endless possibilities offered up by Balotelli’s unfulfilled potential. Paradoxical stints with Liverpool and Nice exemplify the roller coaster-like trajectory of Super Mario’s footballing career. Balotelli’s character defies description, to adumbrate briefly. A polarized persona, he can be hard to love and easy to hate for the casual fan. However, a deeper dive into Balotelli’s career can elucidate the inner workings of the arcane Italian.