How do you true blues feel about the enigmatic Mario Balotelli?

His career has flopped and he was more than frustrating at times at City. He would have a world class game and then not have another for months. He never played well two games in a row, at all in his short City career.

But at 20 he was a much better player than Sterling is currently, for example. Or many other players. At 20 years old how many other modern players had played 116 games and scored 38 goals at professional level (and this is at top clubs in top leagues too) and got MOTM in the FA Cup final? I think that's a better record at 20 years old than Messi CRonaldo and Robben!

What the fuck has happened to the lad? That last half season with us, part of his time at Milan and his year at Liverpool have been fucking awful. He looks like nothing more than someone who wouldn't get a game ahead of Bobby Zamora.

I remember people on here touting him as a bigger star than Neymar (before Neymar had signed for Barça). But I don't think he's ever been a star outside his own head or a twelve year old City fan's head. He had the potential to be one but he never made it IMO. And is heading down the Denilson route, fast! Those first two years at Betis, Denilson looked special and then he was just nobody.
 
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Paul Gascoigne, a wayward talent like Mario, went to Lazio for three seasons and scored 6 goals in 43 appearances, He’s revered to this day with a poster of him at every home game on the Curva Nord. Mario on the other hand stayed in Manchester for two and a half seasons, made 80 appearances and scored 30 goals. And he’s reviled by far too many.

I’ve always thought Mario did all right for us. There’ve been players who arrived at City with far bigger reputations than Mario’s and not delivered like Marsh, Clough, McManaman and George Weah. They don’t seem to be as disliked as much as Mario having achieved far less than him.

Why always him? His eccentricity didn’t seem to bother some people to judge from the quotes at the time. ‘He’s my favourite player and I don’t know why’, ‘United complain because he takes the piss out of them. (Pause.) Yes.’ ‘He is a genius - a comic genius.’ Pat Nevin made a radio programme about him; he was the subject of an Observer editoral; he appeared on the cover of ‘Time’. I can’t recall the source but even His Royal Highness reportedly liked having him around the place.

Of course they all fled from him once it started to unravel behind the scenes with Mancini. But I’ll always be grateful to Mario. To talk about what he should have done feels by-the-way given his actual deeds. And I also trust the opinion of the talent. Here’s Kun from his book:

‘I still miss Mario Balotelli being at City. Even though he used to drive us all nuts. We all knew Mario was a little crazy.

‘I couldn’t help but wind him up, calling him silly names and toying with him. But he knew it was because I loved Mario – everyone loved him.

‘Last season I was injured and in the stands when we played Barcelona in the Champions League. My phone went off. I didn’t recognise the number but I answered it and heard, ‘Hey! It’s Mario! How’s it going d*******? Come on City, come on City!’ – and then he just hung up!’
 
ClaudioDeyna said:
Paul Gascoigne, a wayward talent like Mario, went to Lazio for three seasons and scored 6 goals in 43 appearances, He’s revered to this day with a poster of him at every home game on the Curva Nord. Mario on the other hand stayed in Manchester for two and a half seasons, made 80 appearances and scored 30 goals. And he’s reviled by far too many.

I’ve always thought Mario did all right for us. There’ve been players who arrived at City with far bigger reputations than Mario’s and not delivered like Marsh, Clough, McManaman and George Weah. They don’t seem to be as disliked as much as Mario having achieved far less than him.

Why always him? His eccentricity didn’t seem to bother some people to judge from the quotes at the time. ‘He’s my favourite player and I don’t know why’, ‘United complain because he takes the piss out of them. (Pause.) Yes.’ ‘He is a genius - a comic genius.’ Pat Nevin made a radio programme about him; he was the subject of an Observer editoral; he appeared on the cover of ‘Time’. I can’t recall the source but even His Royal Highness reportedly liked having him around the place.

Of course they all fled from him once it started to unravel behind the scenes with Mancini. But I’ll always be grateful to Mario. To talk about what he should have done feels by-the-way given his actual deeds. And I also trust the opinion of the talent. Here’s Kun from his book:

‘I still miss Mario Balotelli being at City. Even though he used to drive us all nuts. We all knew Mario was a little crazy.

‘I couldn’t help but wind him up, calling him silly names and toying with him. But he knew it was because I loved Mario – everyone loved him.

‘Last season I was injured and in the stands when we played Barcelona in the Champions League. My phone went off. I didn’t recognise the number but I answered it and heard, ‘Hey! It’s Mario! How’s it going d*******? Come on City, come on City!’ – and then he just hung up!’
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Maybe it's anger. Like a son who has the world at his feet, a Masters degree and lots of talent but is happy constantly going on the piss and working in the paper shop at the end of the road, a Dad will be pissed off. He loves him but is frustrated in him.

That's how a lot of us felt about Mario. He was a really likeable guy, he was a character, he was amazing at times but he couldn't be arsed half the time and sometimes he was a dick. But we wanted him to turn into a world star at City and he never did it. I can see why people feel bitterness towards him because of what could have been.

You're right with your Marsh comparison, the others less so as they were here for retirement pay. But Mario could have been a real star and didn't quite make it and we had the belief in him that he would have done it had he applied himself to our club.
 
I"ll always remember he's the first part to Aquerooo.No Balotelli, no Agueroooo .

I love the guy. He's terribly frustrating at times but just can't help but love him. Will always think of him well.
 
I think City suited him,and I didn't think he would find what he had at City any other club, City fans really tuned into his humour ,and gave him a unique platform to express himself, i don't think he fully appreciated that at the time
 
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