Manchester City's bad-boy-wonder Mario Balotelli seems to be at it again. Having previously insulted Arsenal's Jack Wilshere when Wilshere himself finished runner-up to Balotelli in a poll of Europe's best young players by claiming he had never heard of the Englishman, Balotelli has now called out United's Wayne Rooney by saying that Rooney "is not the best striker in Manchester". That statement coupled with about a half dozen others, has this author begging Balotelli to answer the question, 'Why?'
Mario Balotelli’s Petulance Is Beginning To Annoy Me
While your opinion on the matter itself means little in the grand scheme of this discussion - seriously, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez and maybe soon, Edin Dzeko, could all realistically be better than Rooney on current form - what does matter, and what annoys me is the psychology surrounding Balotelli's thought process.
Those aforementioned ideals: the simple fact that Balotelli himself thinks he’s qualified to pass judgement and to wax poetic while he himself has yet to prove his worth to Manchester City fans, Premier League participants and general football community members in England or abroad. Maybe he will soon, but remember, Balotelli has been in the league for mere months. His behavior when speaking to the media is both assumptive and immature. Until Balotelli learns to curb his mouth and focus more on his feet, he’ll be viewed as a child with loads of potential and a player who carries a considerable amount of baggage with him wherever he goes.
Balotelli, just 20, came to Manchester City with a reputation. Having burned every bridge extended to him in Italy with Inter Milan, even a Manchester United-supporting, forward-thinking anglophile such as myself welcomed him to England's Premier League (from the States, mind you) with open arms and considered the acquisition of such a deeply talented and rich-with-potential footballer a strong addition to an already strong league. "He'll be good for football, good for the Premier League and good for Manchester City", I optimistically ho-hummed to myself.
But just as I'll attempt to stay neutral and try to not pass judgement on Mr. B's eventual success or failure in England, his petulance, his words and his critical analysis of his peers and those around him are beginning to annoy the pants off of me. If we were talking about a Frank Lampard, a Ryan Giggs or a Steven Gerrard - one who has put his time in over the years and is deserved of such talk - I'd be more apt to let comments such as Balotelli's slide.
Currently out of action with a knee injury, Balotelli could be a massive success in the Premier League. Having already scored five goals in nine league appearances for Manchester City, a further three goals in only two appearances for City in the Europa League, Balotelli has the tools, skills and supporting cast around him at City that could witness the Italian become one of the best players in the league - IF he can keep his mind open and his mouth shut.
“Balotelli Fears No One”
You can just hear him speaking about himself in the third person, can’t you? If you glance down a list of players, teams or coaches Balotelli has insulted in the last few years, it starts to play out as a who’s who of world football - the club Balotelli so desperately wants to be a member of, and in reality, could be, but seems intent on bullying his peers in some odd display of affection while critics and neutrals alike ask themselves, “is this guy joking?”
Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid, Rafa Benitez, Barcelona, Lionel Messi and most recently Rooney, have all found themselves in the cross hairs of Balotelli's passive aggressive scope. Don't take my word for it, check out a slew of Balotelli's greatest hits.
On Mourinho:
“Mourinho is the best coach in the world, but as a man he still has to learn manners and respect”.
Comparing current boss Roberto Mancini to Jose Mourinho, 2010’s FIFA Ballon d’Or winner for best coach:
“But already now, in terms of human qualities, he is two kilometers ahead of Mourinho, wait, make that 10 kilometers”.
On Manchester City’s current strike force:
“Our attack of Balotelli-Tevez-Dzeko is the best in the world. We are the strongest. Better even than Real Madrid and Barcelona”.
And lastly, Balotelli on Manchester United supporters:
“Do United fans insult me? No, they stop me in the street and say, ‘Mario, come to us’. But I dream of beating them because I know how much the City fans care, they are wonderful with me”.
And let’s not forget that upon claiming the 2010 Golden Boy trophy last December, Balotelli exclaimed that Lionel Messi was only ‘slightly better’ than he was.
So what’s my point with this diatribe? Well, I’m annoyed and I want everyone to know it. When footballers that are children earn hundreds of thousands of pounds each and every week and then subsequently act like they do, it just bugs me a little.
For Balotelli, a player that I enjoy watching and one that I think could be one of the best, I strongly believe that he needs to shift focus from making a name for himself off the field and re-direct that energy into making a name for himself on the field. Balotelli, leave the hyperbole to me.
See More:
