Mario Balotelli Slams PSG; Discusses Marseille Contract, Instagram Celebration

Mario Balotelli has taken a shot at Paris Saint-Germain following their UEFA Champions League exit against Manchester United on Wednesday.

The Italian spoke to La Provence ahead of Sunday's meeting with former club Nice and said Ligue 1 giants PSG are a collective of great players, rather than a great team (h/t Get French Football News):

PSG will be Marseille's next opponents in Ligue 1, as the two rivals do battle on March 17.

Les Parisiens were eliminated from the Champions League round of 16 at home after holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg. A late Marcus Rashford penalty sealed a 3-1 win for United, who won the tie on away goals despite missing several key players through injury and suspension, including midfielder Paul Pogba.

The in-form Balotelli joined Marseille from Nice in January and has scored four goals in his last six outings.

In the interview (h/t AS), he also discussed his desire to stay with Marseille beyond the current season, with his deal set to expire in the summer:

"The fact of the matter is that my contract expires at the end of this season and after that, we'll discuss it.

"I've told my agent that I am happy here and want to stay. My first two seasons at Nice were good, but Marseille is on another level, another type of football and atmosphere.

"As far as I am concerned, Marseille are the biggest club in France. I thank Nice and its supporters, but there's no comparison with Marseille.

"I've always felt that I would fit in here and I can't explain why. The atmosphere is a bit like Naples. I've said the only Italian club I could play for would be Napoli. It's more or less the same thing at Marseille."

GERARD JULIEN/Getty Images

The 28-year-old rebuilt his career at Nice but fell out with the club during the first half of the 2018-19 season. His contract was terminated, allowing him to join Marseille months after a summer move fell through, per BBC Sport.

Former team-mate Malang Sarr has said Balotelli isn't a popular man in the Nice dressing room:

Super Mario has rediscovered his form at Marseille with four goals in six games, however, and made headlines with his celebration after scoring a spectacular overhead kick against Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

The former Manchester City, Liverpool, AC Milan and Inter Milan star posted a live video on Instagram immediately after the goal:

He elaborated on the celebration in the interview with La Provence (h/t AS):

"I do have a particular personality, I like to have a lot of fun with my team-mates.

"When I arrived at Marseille, everyone was feeling pretty down, but it's different now. I think I've helped change that too.

"I'm not saying we're all completely happy now, but the dressing room is a lot more playful nowadays."

Marseille are unbeaten in their last five matches, winning four, and have risen up the Ligue 1 standings as a result. The double-header with Nice and PSG will be crucial in the race for a UEFA Champions League spot, with third-placed Lyon sitting five points ahead of Marseille in fourth.