Mario Balotelli: Highs and Lows of a Star Who Kept Us All Entertained in 2011

The picture that accompanies this article pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Why always Balotelli?

He's an immensely talented footballer on the pitch, but it is his off-field antics which keep all of our eyes on the young Italian.

The 21-year-old is never too far from the headlines, with stories that range from the surprising to the downright bizarre.

Let's take a look at some of Mario's maddest moments from 2011.

The Grass Is Always Greener...

10th March 2011

Balotelli failed to turn out for the second half of City's Europa League match against Dynamo Kiev. While most were claiming that the striker did not want to return to the icy conditions on the pitch, there was in fact a more intriguing reason.

Balotelli was, in fact, allergic to the grass. Well, let's face it, if any footballer in the world was going to be allergic to grass, it was going to be him.

When Mario finally made it to the pitch, he was able to play on for 12 minutes before Carlos Tevez replaced the "distressed" star.

Balotelli is often given anti-histomines to help reduce the effects of his allergies.

Bibotelli

17th March 2011

Back in March, Mario became the subject of what could be described as an Internet viral as he prepared himself for a pre-match warm-up. If you haven't seen it yet, hit play on the video and enjoy.

This video was taken prior to City's second leg Europa League round of 16 match against Dynamo Kiev. Balotelli only lasted 36 minutes of the actual match, after being sent off for a tackle on Goran Popov which could have easily been influenced by the Kung-Fu style of Nigel De Jong.

Mario quickly became the butt of pundits' and teammates' jokes alike, including this effort by Edin Dzeko.

Balotelli Berates Escort in Manchester Restaurant

24th March 2011

You know that awkward moment when you're famous, and you're having a nice quiet meal and someone recognises you? Unfortunately for Jenny Thompson, she does.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, Jenny Thompson was one of the (many) escorts associated with Wayne Rooney.

Out for a quiet meal with a client, Jenny was spotted by Mario, who thought it would be socially acceptable to chant "ROONEY! ROONEY!" across the restaurant at her.

Not convinced he'd quite got his point across, Balotelli asked Thompson's client to "meet him outside" where the pair squared up, before waiters split them up.

Mario "The Power" Balotelli

March 2011

In what could be described as one of his bigger gaffes of the year, Balotelli was pulled up by club officials for throwing darts at a youth team player.

While no one was injured in the stunt, Balotelli was fined a week's wages for his troubles (£100,000 to you and me), had a slap on the wrist and was told not to do it again.

Don't worry, though; he said it was only a joke. And he only did it because he was bored.

Wink and You'll Miss It...

16th April 2011

I was going to post the video with this slide, but this picture literally says a thousand words.

No one is really quite sure what was done or said at the end of Man City's 1-0 FA Cup win over Man United, but what it caused was pretty intense.

Whatever was done or said caused both Anderson and Rio Ferdinand to react angrily, so much so that they had to be held back by Roberto Mancini and David Platt as the rest of the players left the field.

What was a moment that angered Man United fans everywhere was also one which probably put a grin on the face of every single City fan.

Mario's Grand Gift

19th April 2011

Probably one of the more heartwarming stories of Balotelli's year.

Following a £25,000 win at Manchester's 235 Casino, Balotelli decided that he'd share some of his wealth with someone less fortunate.

Upon his departure from the casino, it was reported that he gave £1,000 of his winnings to a homeless man.

This kick-started a number of revelations of a "softer side" to Balotelli, including this:

"

Mario is really generous. He always hands £20 notes to The Big Issue boys without even taking the magazine.

"

See, there's a good side of everyone...

Mario's Maserati Gets Redecorated

April 2011

After being kicked out of a lap-dancing club for breaking the "no touching" rule, most of us would happily get a taxi home and tuck ourselves safely up in bed, right?

Balotelli, on the other hand, decided the best way to go about it was to square up to five bouncers...at once. It was reported that Mario squared up with the doormen, argued with them and laughed in their faces.

The bouncers' reaction? To smash seven bells out of his £80,000 Maserati with a metal torch.

Mario quickly sped off, and got his car repaired on the quiet.

The best part of all of this? Balotelli doesn't drink.

Anti-Bullitelli

May 2011

After meeting a young victim of bullying at City's Carrington training ground, Mario took the matter into his own hands.

Balotelli drove the pupil and his mother to the school and demanded a meeting with the headmaster, in order to get justice for his young fan. The bullies were reprimanded and Balotelli drove into the sunset in his Maserati.

Not such a bad guy after all, eh?

Mario Turns the Air Sky Blue

14th May 2011

Following City's FA cup win over Stoke, ITV Sport were eager to get the noble words from the game's man of the match. Balotelli was picked as the man of the match, but his words, while noble, weren't particularly suitable for the five o'clock audience.

"

My season was s***. Can I say that? My season wasn't good.

"

While accurate and straight to the point, it probably wasn't what ITV were looking to broadcast in the early evening.

Needless to say, this probably isn't the last time that we'll hear Balotelli "slip up" in an interview.

Backheel Backfires

24th July 2011

Even in the preseason, Balotelli can't seem to avoid drama.

During City's friendly with LA Galaxy, Balotelli attempted an audacious backheel shot which went embarrassingly wide. Now what could have been put down as pure stupidity was instead put down as disrespect. In fact, even the commentators said that the effort was "very disrespectful to LA Galaxy".

Balotelli was swiftly removed from the field by manager Roberto Mancini, and just as swiftly threw a hissy fit.

Don Mario?

7th September 2011

In September, Balotelli was wanted for questioning by the Italian police, but surprisingly enough, he hadn't actually done anything wrong.

Balotelli had been photographed "mingling" with mafia members during one of his trips back to Italy, and the Italian police needed to speak to him about their investigation into money laundering.

In all fairness to Mario, isn't everyone given tours of crime-ridden areas by mobsters on their holidays? No?

Balotelli Starts Derby Weekend with a Bang

21st October 2011

On the weekend of the Manchester derby, I'd imagine that the majority of the Man City team had nice relaxing evenings before heading to bed early so that they were 100 percent for the upcoming game.

Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli was letting off fireworks in his bathroom.

Really.

Firefighters attended the scene, but, fortunately, no one was hurt in amongst the tomfoolery.

On the bright side, he scored twice in City's 6-1 demolition of United, and he also got a new gig promoting firework safety in the run-up to bonfire night.

Mario Gets Shopped by His Mum

25th October 2011

After being sent out to the shops by his mum to pick up some things for the cleaner, Mario did not return with the items on his list.

The Sun reported that Balotelli had been sent out for an iron, an ironing board and a few cleaning products. However, he returned five hours later empty-handed.

"

Moments later a store van arrived, bearing none of the items on Silvio's (Balotelli's mother's) list, but carrying a giant trampoline, Scalextric, two Vespa scooters and a table tennis set.

"

A word to the wise: Even when you're a famous footballer, you can't get away with things like this; it was also reported that Balotelli received a stern telling-off from his mum for his foolishness.

Mario vs Micah

14th December 2011

Balotelli was in the papers again a couple of weeks ago, following a bust-up on the training ground with teammate Micah Richards.

The incident was sparked after Richards accused Balotelli of not running hard enough in training. Richards, who seemed particularly aggrieved by the situation, was held back by Yaya Toure and James Milner

This incident could have easily gone under the radar had there not been press present at the ground. It was an incident which Roberto Mancini was quick to dismiss.

Later in the day, Micah Richards was quick to Tweet an explanation:

"

"These things happen in training and we shook hands after. It shows passion!"

"

Merrio Christmas!

December 2011

Just before Christmas, it was widely reported and Tweeted that Balotelli had been driving round Manchester dressed like Santa and handing out money to the people on the street.

Reports claimed that the striker was handing out £20 notes to members of the public and offering them Christmas greetings.

When asked about the rumours, Roberto Mancini said to the press:

"

I don't know—with Mario it is possible. We should ask him. It could be, I don't know...But he was in the hotel and it was forbidden to bring fireworks...

"

Is this just a social media rumour, or was this a real act of generosity/madness? You decide.

Honorable Mentions

Before we finish, let me leave you with a couple of the rumours that I've heard recently which I couldn't find any truth in, but if any of you can prove any of them, then I would be absolutely delighted:

1. Balotelli pays for 12 homeless men to have a full five-course Christmas dinner on Christmas day.

2. Balotelli paid for 24 homeless men to stay in a hotel room each on New Year's Eve.

3. Balotelli left £10,000 on a toilet seat on a train between Manchester and London

Feel free to share any other stories, rumours or just love for Balotelli in the comments section, and let's look forward to another year of the striker entertaining us both on and off of the pitch.