Mario Balotelli has had a memorable career, to say the least. But, the former Italy international may want to write over his recent days, as he was left embarrassed by ISL (Indian Super League) club Kerala Blasters who, after having the opportunity to sign the Italian, refused to sign him.
According to reports from the Times of India, the Blasters chose to back out of a potential deal that would have brought the former Manchester City striker to Kerala due to concerns over his status and disciplinary concerns.
Balotelli, who is currently on his second stint with Turkish SuperLig side Adena Demispor, has 46 caps for Italy, and is now out in the market as a free agent at 34 years of age.
Day 1Kerala Blasters were asked of their interest in signing Italian striker Mario Balotelli. Given the maverick striker’s status and disciplinary record, the club did not pursue this as it was not a realistic target. Balotelli is currently without a club.#TransferSecrets
— Marcus Mergulhao (@MarcusMergulhao) September 8, 2024
For all that the Italian owuld bring to the club and Indian football as a whole, Balsters just could not oversee two points. One was his stature in world football, which was intimidating for the ISL side and led them to believe he was not a realistic target. Blasters also evaluated the player’s past controversies on and off the pitch which further drifted them away from the deal.
Balotelli has definitely had his share of controversies. Just a few months back, Balotelli notoriously lit up the Adana Demirspor dressing room by casually throwing a firecracker towards his team-mates.
His antics don’t end there. Balotelli is said to have had a history with firecrackers, with a friend of the Italian striker said to have lit firecrackers inside his £3million rented Cheshire mansion.
Balotelli escaped unhurt after fleeing the fire at 1am. Just 36 hours later, Balotelli scored against rivals Manchester United before unveiling his infamous ‘Why always me?’ t-shirt.
In 2014, Balotelli stoked more controversy by publishing a picture of himself on Instagram pointing a gun at the camera with the message “a big kiss to all the haters”.
With a history of controversy following the striker, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Balotelli as the former Liverpool, Milan, Nice and City stiker remains in the transfer market as a free agent.
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