A Sign of More Decline for Serie A As Mario Balotelli Is Set To Leave

It seems only a matter of time before it is confirmed that Mario Balotelli will swap Milan for Manchester.

Whether it will be the red half or the blue half of Manchester that acquire his services is unknown at this stage, though City are looking a good bet to win his signature.

For Italian football, there a mixed consequences of Balotelli's imminent move to the Premier League.

There is no question that with the loss of Balotelli, a star player already at the age of just 19 and with a big future ahead, Serie A will once again be at a loss.

Super Mario as he is called, will be only another star to add to the ever-increasing list of star players that have in recent seasons left the drama of Serie A. Last year, it was Kaka and Ibrahimovic; this year it is Balotelli.

The signs do not bode well for Serie A. With the league's best players continually tempted to seek greener pastures abroad, the quality of Italy's national competition continues to suffer. 

But, unlike the loss of Kaka or Ibrahimovic, the loss of Balotelli is even more profound because he is after all Italian.

Historically, Italian players do not like to venture beyond their home country and in the past this has not been a problem.

Serie A has always been a strong enough league, if not at times the strongest in the world, to provide quality competition and condition Italian players in how to compete with the world's best.

But Serie A is not as strong as it once was. Prevalent off-field issues are today undermining Italian football and the clubs, as a consequence, have suffered severely both financially and politically.

Italy's pathetic performances at this year's world cup, with a squad that was made of home-based Italian players, is evidence that today the league does not produce the players it once did.

Despite Inter's Champions League triumph last year that may suggest otherwise, the Serie A today is a second-rate club competition compared to what is once was.

Though Inter did Italy proud, both Juventus and Milan had European seasons last year that were embarrassing.

Juventus lost 4-1 at home to Bayern Munich before losing out to Fulham in the Europa league.

Milan also suffered in their home loss to FC Zurich before being absolutely humiliated by Manchester United at Old Trafford, as Ferguson's team punished Milan with four goals and no reply.

For Italy's national competition, the loss of Balotelli is big. Despite his troubles, his talent is undoubted and being still only 19 years old, he has a great future ahead of him.

It is players like Balotelli that Serie A needs more of but unfortunately, today, Serie A is not he place such stars want to come to play or stay.

Though Serie A will suffer, there is a plus side to Balotelli's move to Manchester. In England, Balotelli will play against some of the finest players and teams in the world.

Such competition can only help his development as a player, and for the Azzurri, this can only be a good thing.

In England also, the colour of Balotelli's skin will be less of a problem if it is even a problem at all.

Throughout Balotelli's time in Italy, racial issues have repeatedly arisen, and this is no surprise given the prevalence of racism in Italian society today.

Therefore, England may serve as a more comfortable environment that will help Balotelli concentrate on football, which is all he should be doing.

One does suspect that Manchester United will be the better option for Balotelli.

Sir Alex Ferguson has a tremendous record in helping the development of young players who become stars, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo are two examples. 

For fans of Serie A, it will be unfortunate to see Balotelli leave. However, for fans of the Azzurri, Balotelli's move to Manchester may just be the best thing.