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Whether you're a fan or a critic, there's no denying that Mario Balotelli keeps things interesting.
At the age of 35, the fiery Italian has not yet hung up his boots, but remains without a club after leaving Serie A side Genoa earlier this year. In England, he's most remembered for his tumultuous stint with Manchester City, where he played a part in the dramatic Premier League title win in 2011/12.
However, his time at City was not without controversy, and he was once fined two weeks' wages due to his poor disciplinary record and had several run-ins with team-mates, sometimes even during matches. Off the field, firefighters were once summoned to his Cheshire home after fireworks set a curtain ablaze.
When he left City in 2013 to return to Milan, this time with AC rather than his former club Inter, it was thought his days in English football were over. But in August 2014, Balotelli found himself back in the Premier League when Liverpool – under the management of Brendan Rodgers – signed him as a replacement for Luis Suarez, who had moved to Barcelona.
Unfortunately, his move to Liverpool didn't pan out as hoped, with Balotelli netting just four goals in his single full season at Anfield before being loaned back to AC Milan. Upon his return to Merseyside in the summer of 2016, Jurgen Klopp was at the helm and the relationship between manager and player was brief and brusque.
Balotelli revealed that he and Klopp had a single conversation before parting ways. Speaking to Sky Italia in 2016, he said: "Klopp doesn't know me.
"I spoke to him once, he told me to go somewhere else, work hard and then return. So I said goodbye to them, and that we wouldn't be seeing each other again."
Instead of heading back to Milan, Balotelli signed with Ligue 1 club Nice. Looking back on his stints at Liverpool and AC Milan, he insisted he was not at fault, reports the Mirror.
"It wasn't anyone's fault," Balotelli added. "They weren't ideal environments for me. I didn't make mistakes in terms of my game or my behaviour, but I did get injured and that's not something I can control."
Balotelli admitted that the climate in the south of France was one of the reasons he was attracted to Nice. He explained: "At the start, I chose Nice for the climate.
"I wanted to be in a relaxing but beautiful place, where it's difficult to get out the wrong side of the bed. The other reason I chose Nice is because there's a decent group of young players. We're all about the same age."
After leaving Nice for Marseille in 2019, Balotelli had stints with Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor, and Sion before returning to Demirspor. The Turkish side finished 12th in the Super Lig during his second stint.
The Italian then made his way to Genoa in October last year, signing on until the end of last season. Balotelli made his debut in a 1-0 victory over Parma in November, but failed to score for the club in six appearances before departing at the season's end.
At 35, Balotelli is now seeking a new club, and Sky Sports Italy has reported that Italian fourth division side Pavia is interested in securing his services.
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