adminONE of the many memorable stories about Mario Balotelli during his days at Manchester City is of the time he thought he lost a diamond earring on one of the pitches at the club’s old Carrington training ground.
As mortified as a footballer who once earned a reported £5,5million a year can be about anything to do with money, he instructed training staff to search for it and promised a handsome bonus for whoever found it.
The hardy group dutifully got on their hands and knees and spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time scouring the turf for the lost gem.
Eventually, no doubt with bones aching, they gave up.
I don’t know what the group’s emotions were after their fruitless hunt, but I would imagine that they may have thought that although it promised much, ultimately it was not worth the effort — a feeling that surrounds Mario, which is now not just limited to Manchester.
Like those at City, staff at Liverpool have grafted to try to help the flamboyant Italian finally deliver a consistent, goalscoring season he is clearly capable of.
But, like those lads on their hands and knees, they are now asking whether he was worth the effort.
Balotelli who, as legend has it, once put £1 000 behind the bar of a Manchester pub so everyone could have a few drinks on him, suddenly faces the sobering prospect of being the man nobody wants to employ.
When Liverpool paid AC Milan £16 million for his services it carried more than a hint of desperation.
The suggestion was that Balotelli, who completed the deal on August 25, was a last resort after moves for other targets had fallen through.
An upbeat Brendan Rodgers described it as a “no brainer”, but after his hero’s welcome, his new man spent the next nine months doing everyone’s heads in.
The noises coming out of Merseyside are that any serious offers this summer will be listened to.
Whether they will be forthcoming for a man who is still only 24, is another matter. A move back to Italy is seen as the most likely escape route, however, they know all about Balotelli there. This, remember, is the land where he was questioned by police after reportedly driving into a women’s prison with his brother because he was “curious”.
Sampdoria’s president Massimo Ferrero had claimed that a move to the Genoa club would see the return of the “real Mario” (although he failed to describe what that was).
But coach Walter Zenga, the legendary Italian keeper, who spent years keeping forwards at bay, subsequently ruled out any bid.
One agent once told me that you knew players were struggling to attract interest when the names of Turkish clubs started being banded around.
The theory was that fellow representatives would often throw in a Fenerbahce or a Galatasaray to see if that could kickstart a bid.
In Balotelli’s case Trabzonspor have been named as suitors, although it would appear that in this instance a move to Turkey could well be on the cards.
Without wanting to cause offence, the Turkish league is not in Europe’s first or second tier and a move to the Black Sea coast would illustrate how far a man who scored 30 goals in three seasons at Manchester City and made his Inter Milan debut at 17 has sunk.
Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola has insisted he will be staying at Liverpool.
The man himself took to Instagram with a typically Mario picture in which he mocked himself up in chains overlooking Wembley Stadium along with a hashtag “beast”. The suggestion was that he was straining at the leash to deliver, but few in Merseyside red will have been inspired after what they have already seen.
Has the dungeon door closed?
Divock Origi will finally come into the fold and new boy Danny Ings has not been signed by Rodgers to make up the numbers. Add Daniel Sturridge to the mix and Balotelli would be fourth choice — and that is without taking into account Fabio Borini or Rickie Lambert should they also stay at the club.
While it is easy for those who are not fans of Liverpool to say, it would be a shame to wave goodbye on this note.- Daily Mail.
Online Reporter