Mario Balotelli's Future in Doubt After Sergio Aguero's Manchester City Debut

Best English Premier League debut ever? Certainly up there with the best.  Manchester City's Sergio Aguero proved to everyone why he's considered one of the best in the world en route to a 4-0 victory over Swansea City.

Manchester's Eden Dzeko broke the deadlock after 60 minutes of frustration.  When Aguero came on with 30 minutes to go, Manchester City looked like the best team in the Premiership. In just a half hour, Aguero earned an ingenious assist and 2 goals, one of which went screaming into the back of the net.

While Manchester fans celebrate Aguero's arrival, they may soon be pondering Mario Balotelli's now uncertain future.

Balotelli has one of the biggest egos in football, with little to back it up. He once claimed he was the second best player in the world apart from Lionel Messi. He isn't the smartest guy in the world, either (it took him 2 minutes to put a bib on properly.) But it's certainly true that he is explosive and unstoppable when fully fit and committed. 

Unfortunately it hasn't been a good summer for Balotelli. After claiming that he wasn't happy with Manchester, he was accused of showboating during a simple goal scoring opportunity.

He followed that with a tepid display in the Community Shield against United. After he was substituted he walked arrogantly off the pitch into the dressing room, seemingly uninterested in the match's outcome. Manager Roberto Mancini appreciates his talents, but has been growing tired of Balotelli's attitude of late. 

His petulance is described off the pitch as well as on. When Balotelli won the 2011 PFA Young Player of the Year award and prodigious Arsenal talent Jack Wilshere came second, Balotelli claimed not to know who he was. Wilshere has since become one of the best players in the Premiership, while Balotelli can often be found flailing his arms on the pitch, asking why he wasn't passed the ball.

A move to England was supposed calm Balotelli down and help fulfill his potential. Neither has happened.  He complains constantly and fans are begging for it to stop. The hope that Balotelli improves has been replaced with an attitude of complete indifference seemingly overnight.

Aguero's debut earned him a spot in the Manchester starting lineup. Dzeko worked hard and had a quality outing. Even Carlos Tevez seems like a better fit than Balotelli. 

Unless he matures, Balotelli's career threatens to derail at the tender age of 21. For the near future, Mancini could use him as a super sub behind strikers Dzeko and Aguero with Silva playing off them. 

Balotelli is more talented and explosive than Dzeko.  If he was as mature and worked as hard, Balotelli could easily bump Dzeko for a spot in the starting lineup.

That's the advantage Aguero, Silva and Tevez have over Balotelli: they work hard as a team.  They sacrifice personal agendas for the sake of a win.  Balotelli, on the other hand, could give a damn about a win or loss as long as he can handle the ball and embarrass defenders.

Balotelli must wake up from his slumber and realize that if he doesn't play well soon, a move back to his native Italy will do nothing to stop his stagnating career. The scary part is he's only 21.