Mario Balotelli: 'Teams where I felt good? Nice, Manchester City and ... that's it'
Despite his immense talent, Mario Balotelli has bounced around Europe trying to find the right fit. With six goals in five appearances across all competitions, the 26-year-old seems to have found a sanctuary in France. Of the other four clubs he's plied his trade at, though, he only "felt good" at one of them.
"The ranking of the teams where I felt good?" Balotelli said in an interview with Sky Sports Italia. "Nice, Manchester City and ... that’s it.” For the record, Balotelli had stints with Liverpool, Inter Milan and A.C. Milan in addition to Nice and Man City. Let's briefly break down his tenure at each of the clubs he felt bad at.
At Liverpool, Balotelli scored a largely forgettable four total goals in 28 appearances across all competitions and publicly feuded with then-manager Brendan Rodgers before getting loaned out for a return to A.C. Milan. His loan spell there was also as effective as a lead-filled balloon with 3 goals in 23 total appearances. It was a far cry from the 30 goals in 54 games in all comps during his first tenure at the club from 2013-2014. Then there are his three years at Inter early in his career, when he scored 28 goals in 86 matches but also had a fractured relationship with then-boss Jose Mourinho.
Whatever the case might be, Balotelli doesn't look fondly upon his time in Italy or at Liverpool. Balotelli has had a number of coaches throughout his career, and plenty that he never saw eye-to-eye with, but looked at his most dangerous while under Roberto Mancini. Perhaps Nice manager Lucien Favre has also found the secret to keeping Balo happy.
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