Predicting Mario Balotelli's Future: 6 Months, 1 Year, 5 Years from Now
You’ve often heard people say that it’s pretty hard to predict just what Mario Balotelli will do next, but in reality he’s quite often just as susceptible to circumstances as any other footballer.
A pass here, a deflection there and suddenly things can change, and that’s certainly what Liverpool are hoping for right now as the Reds battle on without the sold Luis Suarez and the injured Daniel Sturridge, with the increase in expectations following last season’s consistency proving tough to live up to.
So while Balotelli might be the star of the show for many, for Brendan Rodgers it really is just all about how the Italian can become just another one of his players, albeit a star one who regularly contributes both goals and assists.
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Hopefully there will come a day when Balotelli the footballer is talked about much more than Balotelli the figure of fun, but just how will the next few years of his career pan out?
Here’s our guess.
6 Months From Now: May 2015
The return of Sturridge has at least improved Liverpool as the forward strikes up a partnership with Balotelli that, while doesn’t get the Reds anywhere the title-challenging heights of last season, does at least get them in the mix for a top-four finish with three league games to go.
Balotelli—who brought back the “Why Always Me?” t-shirt after scoring in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, was booked for showing it and then couldn’t put his shirt back on—still isn’t a prolific goalscorer, but he has at least found some form which has made him a firm favourite on the Kop. The fans' “Mario Fantastico” chant has been turned into a single by Drake and reaches No. 3 in the UK charts.
His winning goal at Wembley in the Capital One Cup final secures Liverpool their first trophy for three years, although that same trophy is damaged when Balotelli dangles it out of the window on the M40 motorway on the coach ride home. He apologises, but Rodgers merely uses the incident to highlight the continuing need to “educate, nurture and progress” the forward, or something like that.
Rodgers then continues saying things as Balotelli comes towards the end of his first season at Liverpool, one in which he’s outraged more pundits than he has scored goals, but he retains the backing of the Liverpool supporters who are determined to stand by him.
He registers his second-ever Premier League assist in the dying seconds of Liverpool’s final game of the 2014/15 season at Stoke, with Sturridge’s 94th-minute winner ensuring the Reds pip Manchester United to fourth place and secure Champions League football.
1 Year From Now: November 2015
The young Belgian forward Divock Origi has returned from his loan spell at Lille and has immediately struck up a lively partnership with Sturridge, forcing Balotelli to the sidelines and Rickie Lambert into moving back to Southampton for a cut-price fee.
Balotelli still plays his fair share of matches, but his disappointment at not being a guaranteed starter has manifested itself in a loss of discipline.
He is sent off just 10 minutes after coming onto the pitch in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, causing a week-long debate about just what is to be done with him.
On his return to the team after suspension to face former club Manchester City, he scores a 30-yard free-kick in the dying seconds but is then sent off again for causing a delay to the restart by insisting on going to each of his former City teammates and laughing in their faces. Cue another media debate.
A poor performance in a Champions League game in Marseille is seen by many as his final straw, although the player himself claims he wants to stay with the Reds and fight for his place with Origi. The Daily Star turn this into a headline proclaiming “Mario Punches Origi In Training” and so there’s another media debate.
5 Years From Now: November 2019
After leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2016, Balotelli moves back to AC Milan and scores the winner against rivals Internazionale in his first Milan derby since returning. He celebrates by tweeting pictures of himself out in the city that night, but then proceeds to go 19 games without scoring.
Milan quickly lose patience with him and he is loaned to Paris Saint-Germain for the remainder of the 2016/17 season as a replacement for the retired Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who decided to quit football 27 minutes into a French League Cup game at Bastia.
Further loan spells at Napoli, Zenit St Petersburg and in Qatar fail to inspire the forward, and in 2018 he announces his temporary retirement from football to go and work in a dog’s home in Manchester for six months.
While there, Balotelli rediscovers his love of football, but the only team willing to give him a chance upon his return to the game are QPR, now managed by the former England boss Sam Allardyce.
The Italian, now 29, hits the ground running in west London. He scores 12 goals in his first 10 games for the club, celebrating each one by taking a selfie with the phone he keeps hidden in his sock.
A match-winning display against Liverpool has raised even more interest in the forward, and Reds manager Brendan Rodgers is rumoured to be readying a £16 million bid to bring him to Anfield.
It’ll be different this time, won’t it?
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