Mario Balotelli Has the Potential to Win the Ballon D'Or Eventually, but Not Now

The Ballon D'Or is a trophy which ideally measures who the most valuable footballer in the world is. Unfortunately, a media circus has enshrouded an event which should be filled with joy and be a positive reflection of the best the game has to offer.

Now, it seems that it has become a decision that is weighed down by various political decisions, with no one quite sure about how exactly the voting process works, or what the standard guideline is for determining who deserves the award.

With that being said, it's still the most prestigious individual trophy that a football player can only dream of receiving throughout his career. With only one player being able to win it per year, there have still been so many upper echelon type players who never got their hands on it despite domestic and international success.

In the past 10-years, nine of the winners have been attackers, while the only defensive player to win it was Fabio Cannavaro back in 2006 after he anchored the Italian national team back-line which won the World Cup. Here are the past ten winners:

2003	Pavel Nedved	Juventus
2004	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan
2005	Ronaldinho	Barcelona
2006	Fabio Cannavaro	Juventus
2007	Kaka	Milan
2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United
2009	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2010	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2011	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2012	Lionel Messi	Barcelona

With attacking players vastly favored to win the award over any other position on the pitch, it's already a trophy that's in Mario Balotelli's favor to win.

Super Mario has always had the world-class skill that could set him apart from the plethora of strikers looking to put their dent in the game. But he hasn't had the right mindset to truly exploit his undeniable talent thus far.

That being said, it could be argued that a certain type of crazed attitude is a positive attribute for a player of that quality, as only this type of brain could conjure up some of the bizarrely innovative skill on display.

The 23-year-old Balotelli seemed to be on the right course to finally hone his immense potential, as he scored a goal in nearly every game he played for Milan in the second half of last season. But he has fallen off a bit since, not being able to cause the same amount of damage up front in what has been an atrocious start to the season for his club Milan.

Thankfully there's still time for the Italian international to turn his career around for the better and embark on a journey that will hopefully end in him acquiring the precious Ballon D'Or trophy. 

The sad news for Milan fans is that he might have to look elsewhere if he wants to win the necessary silverware that would garner such attention from FIFA. Balotelli was part of Jose Mourinho's Inter side that won the Champions League, but the then-teenager was only used sparingly off the bench and couldn't get into the regular rotation.

With the skill Balotelli has at his disposal, he could lead the line for any team in the world as long as he screws his head on right and stops committing suicidal fouls which prevent him from forming any type of continuity on the domestic level. 

When one remembers Super Mario as a player down the line, the first key elements they'll have to consider when judging his career is how many trophies he won and if he ever managed to win the famed Ballon D'or.

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