When AC Milan made a move to re-sign Mario Balotelli on loan this summer, many suggested they were taking a gamble on an overrated loafer. But in truth, it was less a risky wager and more a perfectly prudent move: for the price of half of his wages alone, Milan were getting a 25-year-old at the peak of his powers, a player unfazed by the the dazzling media spotlight, and, most importantly, a striker whose goalscoring record at some of Europe’s biggest clubs is exemplary. It was the safest bet, financial and sporting, that they’d taken all summer.
Mario Balotelli is ready to be a star for AC Milan and Italy again
His time at Liverpool doesn’t define him. He’s still a top talent, able to be a star for club and country.
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Strip away the persona artfully crafted by the British media, and it looks awfully like Balotelli is a very good footballer who’d been handled very poorly in his spell at Liverpool last season. As, for all he’s portrayed as a obstreperous child, he’d not once failed at any club before moving to Anfield. Writing him off on the basis of a handful of disappointing games at an underperforming team after such an impressive start to his career is to be utterly unreasonable.
It may well be, as Danny Murphy has suggested, that signing the striker ultimately wasn't manager Brendan Rodgers' decision, but for whatever reason, Rodgers seemed about as disinterested in making the transfer work as anyone else. He'd seemed to have practically given up on the striker before he'd even had a chance, and Balotelli promptly spent much of the campaign kicking his heels on the touchline. Over the summer, it became clear both parties wanted a separation, and Milan sensed an opportunity. And, for once, the rossoneri made a masterstroke of a decision.
Balotelli made his first league start after returning to Milan on Tuesday, and opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick after just five minutes.
Great shot of Balotelli's great shot last night pic.twitter.com/Hx9wnp3QjY
— Football Super Tips (@FootySuperTips) September 23, 2015 Though he didn't manage to add to his early opener, he turned in a thoroughly impressive performance alongside Carlos Bacca. His link play was excellent, and his tendency to drop deep and slide a pass through for the darting Colombian made them a formidable duo. Most remarkably, only two players on the field -- midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Riccardo Montolivo -- touched the ball more often than the Italian. It was the sort of commanding performance that characterises a confident Balotelli, and one AC Milan will be hoping to see throughout the remainder of the season.
A keen onlooker must also be Italy coach Antonio Conte, who has never handed Balotelli an international cap, despite the forward’s impressive record under his predecessor Cesare Prandelli.
Given Balo’s benchwarming at Liverpool, his omissions to date can be justified, though with him now set to feature more regularly, no longer does it make sense to select the likes of Graziano Pellè and Ciro Immobile instead. Though they’re both perfectly serviceable mid-table players in their domestic leagues, they’re essentially footballing blunt instruments. They can bully weak defenders, using power and intelligent positioning to rack up the goals, but they’re never going to cut it against the very best teams.
Balotelli, on the other hand, has proven he can. His movement is much quicker and more unpredictable; he’s more of a contributor to the side’s general build-up play; and he’s more than able to match them for sheer goalscoring venom. With a single moment of brilliance, he’s proven capable of being able to turn matches on their head: an invaluable trait for a national team that have only scored more than a single goal in one fixture this year.
The media have often been wrong about Balotelli, but they’re right in saying that this is a big season for him. Driven by a desire to prove Rodgers wrong, the Italian has been given an ideal platform to push on and establish himself as one of Europe’s top attacking talents.
If he performs at his best, he could find the doors of opportunity swing open once again; a good campaign would also enable him to return to the Italy squad just in time for next summer’s European Championships, four years on from his unforgettable semi-final display against Germany in Kiev. It’s time Mario Balotelli showed the world what Milan have known all along.
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