Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli believes that only Lionel Messi is currently a better player than him in the world.
That’s a big claim considering he hasn’t even proven he’s the best player at Manchester City.
Golden Boy
Balotelli has just claimed the ‘Golden Boy’ award for being the best under-21 player in Europe.
He won it ahead of Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere. Does that make Wilshere the third best player in the world? Balotelli now wants to win the Ballon d’Or.
Confident
The Italian told Tuttosport: “I want to be the best player in the world,” “It is good to have ambition. I’ve said in the past that I don’t care what other people want or expect of me because I know what I want.
“I will always give everything because I want to become the best. That is my aim and I am determined to make it happen. I am really happy to have won the Golden Boy 2010, but who else should have won it if not me? Two years ago I finished sixth and in 2009 in fourth. Now it is my turn.
“Now my objective is to win the Ballon d’Or without age limits. To win the Golden Boy is a good omen to win the main prize. I am now a candidate for that. There is only one player who is a little stronger than me – Messi. All the others are behind me.”
The guy has never lacked confidence but that’s led to his downfall in the past. He fell out with Jose Mourinho on numerous occasions when the pair were at Inter, as their egos clashed and led to the youngster being left out of the Inter squad on occasions.
His ego will get him into trouble in his football career and he needs to start adjusting his attitude if he is going to be a success in the Premier League. He has already got into trouble at City clashing with teammate Jerome Boateng in training.
His attitude has already led to him being linked with a return to his homeland, where he was a controversial figure due to receiving racist abuse from opposition fans. I don’t think the disgraceful abuse he received in his homeland helped his attitude. Italian football fans have gave helped put an even bigger chip on his shoulder.
Inconsistent
He has had an inconsistent time at City since his arrival from Inter in the summer. At times he’s looked like the player he thinks he is and at times he looks like a useless spoilt child. When he’s good he’s usually very good, when he’s bad he’s invisible.
Talent
You can’t argue with the fact that he has big potential. We all know he is already very talented and he has all the attributes to achieve what he wants. When he matures and gains a bit of experience he could be a very good player. It’s now up to the Italian to decide how good he wants to be.
Best
At just 20 years of age he has lots of time to prove that he is one of the best players in the world. He needs to start to perform on a consistent basis to be considered a top player. He has to start doing his talking on the pitch, rather than off it.
The likes of Ballon d’Or nominees Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi have performed consistently for years and won numerous honours.
Balotelli has experience of winning trophies with Inter but if he is to achieve his personal aims then he must help City become a major force in English and European football. Balotelli must now work hard and one day he may win that Ballon d’Or but I believe that day is a long way off just yet.
Will Balotelli achieve his goal of winning Ballon d’Or at Manchester City?
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