Italian striker Mario Balotelli has been in form since joining France club Nice
Italian striker Mario Balotelli still believes he can win football’s most prestigious award the Ballon d’Or.
The Italian striker has talked about winning the award in the past, but his ambition has been laughed at by some after a rocky career so far.
The good thing about the striker is that he never seems to be deterred by small facts like he has struggled to make an impact at most of his recent clubs.
However, he is enjoying a new lease of life in France with Nice and has scored six times in six Ligue One appearances.
Hasn’t lost his ambition
Balotelli’s not lost his ambition and speaking to the Chinese media he is quoted as saying: “Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi are at this moment the best and nobody’s like them. Impossible,”
“But if I had a good year, without injury and [fully] focused, I think it’s not impossible [for me] to win.
“But even if one day I win, I think Ronaldo and Messi are the best because they won four or five times.”
Yes, Lionel and Cristiano are just a bit in front of you in the race for the Ballon d’Or this year, maybe next year eh Mario?
Balotelli has tonnes of ability
It is hard to believe that Mario Balotelli is actually 26 years old. He has been in and around first team squads in Europe for almost a decade now. He broke into the Inter team at 17 and was hyped up as a potential superstar.
The hype was understandable, as the guy has so much natural ability. He is also big and strong. The problem is he is a sandwich short of a picnic, or Balotelli’s case a basket short of a picnic.
The striker seems to do things that nobody would ever even think of doing. Not in a sort of Richard Branson, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs kind of way, more in Harry and Lloyd kind of way from Dumb and Dumber.
Unfortunately, that screw that he has loose has cost him the best part of his career. He has never seemed to have taken the game or his career seriously, which is a shame for the striker. Whenever he talks he seems like an ambitious guy who wants to be at the top, but his mental attitude or attributes have let him down.
Lots of top players have a certain arrogance about them. However, they can produce the performances to back up their arrogance. Balotelli has shown flashes of his ability, but sadly it has been on too few occasions.
Balotelli in recent times seems to have toned down his arrogance in interviews. Maybe he is maturing as a person, which can only be good for the striker.
Can still have a successful career
Balotelli may have struggled to live up to the hype of his early career. However, if he can stay injury-free and actually focussed, as he said himself then he can still have a very successful career.
The striker has just returned from injury. He will be hoping to help Nice to an unlikely title triumph this season, which they are odds of 6/1 to achieve. Nobody really expected them to challenge for the title this season, not with perennial French challengers PSG about.
However, they are currently top leading PSG and Monaco in the table. The return from injury of Balotelli on Thursday night in the Europa League will be a big boost.
With all due respect to Nice, Balotelli is now a big fish in a small pond, whereas he has always played for big clubs in big leagues. The pressure and the spotlight have been on him and he has never really handled it that well.
Maybe slightly out of the limelight in France, he can quietly but surely start fulfilling his potential. Balotelli can keep dreaming of winning the Ballon d’Or. He may never get to that level of the game. However, if he can find his form at least his career will not have been a total waste.
Will Mario Balotelli ever become a top player in European football?
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
