Mario Balotelli: Game-by-Game Assessment of His AC Milan Contribution so Far

It's fair to say that since arriving from Manchester City in January, Mario Balotelli has been the most talked about player in Serie A.

Linking up instantly with his teammates and immediately rediscovering his form, Balotelli will have people wondering what went wrong in Manchester, but for the Milanisti, it's been a joy to watch. 

Securing Balo's services was a masterstroke by Adriano Galliani and Silvio Berlusconi, who not only added the finishing touch to this exciting, young Milan side, but also washed away the sour taste left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure. 

Overall, he's been a resounding success. But how has he fared game by game?

Udinese

It was abundantly clear from the beginning that Balotelli was comfortable in his new surroundings. 35 seconds into his debut against Udinese, he almost scored, and things only got better from there. 

Super Mario's first goal in a Milan shirt came just 25 minutes into the game, when Stephen El Shaarawy's cross found him in the box, ready to pounce. The goal sent Milanisti around the world into raptures, but he wasn't finished there. 

Giampiero Pinzi levelled for Udinese in the second half, but Balotelli ran the show throughout the second period, linking up well with his new teammates and attempting several close efforts.

That Thomas Heurtaux's tackle in the box was a fair one is not up for debate (it was clean). But Balo can't be blamed for refereeing, and he dutifully slotted home the spot kick to secure a win for Massimiliano Allegri. 

Debuts don't get a whole lot better, and it was widely regarded as the best performance that week in any of the major leagues. Exciting. 

Cagliari

Another fine performance from Balotelli, even if the result didn't go the way of Milan. 

Cagliari did little to test the Rossoneri, but took their chance when it presented itself through Victor Ibarbo. Milan, meanwhile, were largely flat and Mario was really the only bright spark on the afternoon. 

Balo had been troubling the Sardinians at the back all game, and eventually got the better of Davide Astori, who foolishly pulled down the striker in the back, conceding a penalty and getting himself dismissed. Balotelli happily slotted home his second spot kick in a week, and Milan came away with a draw. Hard working. 

Parma

After being so pivotal in his first two games, you'd have expected Balotelli to be the one who put his side up against Parma, but the Rossoneri's first came from a Gabriel Paletta own-goal. 

After that, it was business as usual, as the former Manchester City and Inter man bossed the front line in style, tormenting Parma's defence and eventually earning Milan's vital second goal with an impressive free kick. The visitors scored in stoppage time, but thanks to Super Mario, it didn't matter. Influential. 

Inter

In the build-up to the clash with his former club, the talk in the media and among fans was only ever going to be all about Super Mario, wasn't it?

When the game came, however, it wasn't to be Balotelli's day. Viewed in the context of his blistering form and early performances in a Milan shirt, the striker was not at his best against Inter, and despite having his chances, he just couldn't get the better of Samir Handanovic in the Nerazzurri goal. 

Balo's international team mate Stephan El Shaarawy had no such trouble and scored a cracker to open the scoring for the Rossoneri. Ezequiel Schelotto spared Inter's blushes with an equaliser, but this is a game that on another day Balotelli would have won single-handedly. Difficult.

Genoa

After missing Milan's thrashing of Lazio through injury, Balotelli was back in Allegri's squad for the trip to Genoa.

Giampaolo Pazzini's fine form meant that Mario started on the bench, but after the Italy striker scored the opener for Milan, he suffered an injury, and was replaced by Balotelli. 

Milan played well but couldn't force their influence on this tie. They were also lucky to avoid several genuine claims for penalties before Mario put them out of reach on the hour mark with a close-range strike following a corner. He was petulant at times, but when it mattered he did the job. Game-changing. 

Palermo

Following the disappointing loss to Barcelona in the Champions League, Milan welcomed back the cup-tied Balotelli into the squad for Palermo. 

The difference was night and day. The young forward was at the heart of almost all that was good about Milan, acting as a reference point for his team mates and as a battering ram to constantly test the shaky Palermo defence. 

An early penalty allowed Balo to open the scoring and a strike just after the hour mark sealed the deal and heaped yet more misery on the seemingly-doomed Palermo. Imperious.