Super Mario

Where to start with Mario Balotelli? I'm once again reading something on Twitter saying that Balotelli has been throwing the money around to the delight of people in Manchester and thinking to myself, surely all these rumours can't be true?! Since his £24m move from Inter Milan to Man City in 2010, he has been shrowded in rumour, tantrums and run ins with the Police. I suppose we won't ever know which rumours are true, and which are tabloid talk, although if you take the Guardian quiz they try to outline some of the adventures of Mario Balotelli. 

Reports recently have suggested that Balotelli has paid the bill for a whole Nando's restaurant he was in, filled up his car and paid for everyone in the petrol station too, driven around Manchester handing out £20 notes while dressed as Father Christmas, given a £1000 to a tramp outside a casino after winning £25,000, sorted out a row between a bully and a kid within a school and had a tour of an Italian city from a mafia gang! That's just some of the rumours. But my personal favourite has to be his encounter with the Police after he crashed his car just months into his City career. When asked why he had so much cash on him, he simply replied with "because I'm rich!". Simple enough answer, and undoubtedly very true. 

Because it's you Mario!

Football currently lacks many characters with most trotting out the same PR inspired talk that they're told to say. Seeing Thierry Henry's interview last night when he confessed to "finally knowing what it's like to score for a club you support, like the lads at Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea" was a brief break in the wooden men in football kits you often see in front of the cameras. Balotelli though, is certainly a character. He is obviously very cocky and confident, and I'd imagine most 21 year old lads, earning as much money as he does would have a bit of swagger about them, you only have to look at the goal he shouldered in to see that he does. 

Strip back the aura of confidence and he seems like a genuinely decent guy. I can't recall any players making gestures like he does, if they're actually true. I hope they are. Plenty of players make somewhere near what he makes, and even the ones who don't could afford to pay for a restaurant full of people. I don't imagine they do pay for them though. If they do, we don't hear about it. What difference does £1,000 make to a professional footballer? It's like me or you giving 50p away. He's either got a really good PR agent, who knows how to whip up a frenzy about someone, or he just keeps entertaining people with his money! 

Everything Balotelli does seems to attract attention, and it slightly distracts you from the fact he isn't a bad footballer either! He's big and strong, has good feet and knows where the back of the net is! I'd much rather he wasn't in the Man City side when they take on Liverpool tomorrow and in the return game. After having so much admiration for him, you'd hope that he could curb his antics to the point where his isn't being disciplined by Man City. Although I say I'd rather he wasn't playing against Liverpool, most people want to see him playing, and to miss out because of ill discipline seems silly. There's nothing to stop him going out, being generous and having a good time, but so long as it doesn't affect his profession. 

I certainly welcome his presence in the Premier League and wish more players had a bit more personality in the game. He's off the wall, he's different and good on him. Whether he will stay in Manchester is debatable, but it boils down to him being a great player, and we want the best players playing in the worlds best league, the Premier League, even if they can't put a training bib on!

Apologies for the awful chat from Savage!!