Ex-boss talks about feud with striker
Ex-Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has revealed why former club striker Mario Balotelli left the club.
Balotelli signed for Man City under Mancini in 2010, and helped them to their first league title in over 40 years in the 2012/13 season. He left in 2013 after only being able to show glimpses of the player he could’ve become.
He joined Liverpool in 2015 but never really performed, and he now finds himself at Nice in France, where he has begun to find some form.
“In a training session, I said to players not to make stupid tackles on Gael [Clichy]Â because he was just coming back from injury. And then, Mario made a strong tackle on him. I was furious,” Mancini told L’Equipe.
“I grabbed him by the collar wanting to push him but he is so strong physically I couldn’t move him. From seeing the pictures, you would think that we came to blows but nothing happened.
“He came into conflict with some team-mates because of his behaviour, and he wanted to return to Italy. I was disappointed that he wanted to leave because he should have done so much more in an extraordinary championship.”
Since leaving City for AC Milan, Balotelli’s career has continued to stutter and he has found himself dropped from the Italy national team.
“If Mario today doesn’t play for the Italy side, it is his fault,” said Mancini. “It is incredible that he is not the starting centre-forward for his national side.
“He is the best Italian striker of the last few years. I hope Mario understands that he has to have a different attitude and think only about football. It is not that difficult.”
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
