'Super Mario' is still under contract at the club for one more year and he showed glimpses of his artistry immediately after his transfer, however, multiple injuries affected his performance and he scored only once in this calendar year. The management would be so keen to cash in on him. Balotelli is reportedly in talks with Rapid Bucharest, who are coached by another troublemaker Adrian Mutu. The Romanian striker, who once wore the colours of Parma, Chelsea and Juventus, but his career has been marred by drug problems.
The big kid
The Palermo native started his career in 2006 at Lumezzano, where he broke into the first team at the age of 15. His talent was noticed by representatives of the famous Barcelona, but after a failed trial he headed to Inter. It was during his time with the Nerazzurri that he began to be talked about as one of the greatest talents in the world.
In November 2008, at the age of 18 years and 85 days, he became Inter's youngest ever Champions League goalscorer and the world was at his feet. However, the fairytale was short-lived.
The footballer refused to adhere to the strict training units of coach Jose Mourinho, who then dropped him from the squad. In 2010, he angered the club's supporters when he made an appearance in a certain TV programme wearing the jersey of rivals AC Milan. It was clear to everyone that his time at Inter was coming to an end.
His compatriot Roberto Mancini, at that time the coach of Manchester City, gave him a helping hand. The £22million signing was supposed to take the English club to the top and although Balotelli showed he hadn't forgotten how to play football, he was more often than not on the front pages of the tabloid newspapers.
He sought out strip bars before games, set fire to his own house for mishandling pyrotechnics, failed to wear a distinctive kit at training and became an internet hit, at other times even going to a school to speak to a student who had bullied a fan.
Falling from Olympus
The highlight of the misunderstood genius' career was the final appearance of the then underrated Italy in the 2012 European Championship final, to which he contributed three goals.
Afterwards, he changed club after club and played for AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille and Brescia, but refused to coach there. The club's management terminated his contract after relegation to the second division.
Three years ago, the tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, the former owner of AC Milan, took pity on 'Balo' and bought the tiny club from Monza and pulled it from the fourth to the second league (the club is currently in Serie A).
Balotelli was given a seven-month contract and had to follow the instructions of his new boss, Adriano Galliani, who required him to send him photos of his weight every morning. Although Mario started well, losing five kilograms in 20 days and scoring in his debut match, he only played in 12 games in which he scored five goals.
He then headed to Demirspor in Turkey and thrived in the newcomer's jersey, playing 33 games and scoring 18 goals. However, his time in Sion brought everything back to normal.
