Mario Balotelli to Nice: Latest Transfer Details, Comments and Reaction

Mario Balotelli has completed his transfer from Liverpool to OGC Nice, the Reds announced on Wednesday.

Balotelli spent the 2015-16 season on loan at AC Milan, but he failed to show his best form with the Rossoneri. He netted just a solitary goal in Serie A, the same number as he mustered for Liverpool in his debut Premier League season at the club.

These numbers from Squawka Football sum up just how poor Balotelli was:

The 26-year-old has failed to find a regular home in his career, having been handed chances at some big clubs.

Inter Milan were Balotelli's first major employer, although his former manager, Jose Mourinho, claimed he "has one brain cell," per Des Kelly of the Daily Mail.

From there, he went to Manchester City, and while he showed early promise, his relationship with manager Roberto Mancini was spiky. Despite his popularity at the Etihad Stadium, Balotelli failed to nail down a consistent spot in the first team.

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A stint at AC Milan followed, where Balotelli enjoyed the best goalscoring spell of his career, grabbing 14 goals in the 2013-14 term.

Here are some of the best moments he produced from that campaign:

It was a return that prompted former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers to bring him to Anfield, although things quickly unravelled.

According to Simon Hughes of the Independent, Balotelli interrupted coaches addressing players and scored an own goal from the halfway line in a training match while at Liverpool. After just one season, he was loaned back to Milan.

Nice are the latest club to take a punt on the player and will be confident in bringing the best out of the game's enfant terrible.

The Ligue 1 side did a similar job with Hatem Ben Arfa last term. The winger's career was in danger of petering out after tough spells with Newcastle United and Hull City, but he settled brilliantly at the Allianz Riviera, inspiring the team to a fourth-place finish and earning a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Balotelli is at a significant crossroads. The striker has always been at clubs that would consider themselves to be juggernauts of the European game, and now he needs to take a step down before he can start looking up again.

The talent Balotelli possesses is beyond doubt, as the Italian is strong, skillful and quick across the ground. However, he has a lot to prove after just two league goals in two seasons. If he fails to perform to his best at Nice, it’s tough to see where he goes from here.