Wanted to stay in Italy in the summer
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Mario Balotelli has never been known as a player who stays loyal to a club for a long time. In recent years, the Italian has become a real migratory bird. Including the OGC Nice, where he set up camp in 2019, he has collected seven different clubs in the last seven years – and is currently looking for the eighth.
“To be honest, I’m at a dead end,” Balotelli explained in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m feeling good physically, I’m training alone. I had offers from abroad in the summer, but secretly I was hoping to spend another year or two in Italy. But the opportunity to return didn’t arise.” According to reports, a move to the Spanish third division club Real Murcia failed due to the player’s will.
Balotelli was most recently active at Genoa CFC in Serie A in the 2024/25 season, but only made six short appearances in the first half of the season and has not been in the squad since January. In previous years he played in Turkey for Adana Demirspor, in Switzerland for FC Sion and for AC Monza in Italy. In the Süper Lig he also made a sporting impression with seven goals and one assist in 16 appearances, but received the 14th dismissal of his career in the third to last game of the season.
Although his last goal in a competitive game dates back to April 2024 and there currently seems to be no employer, Balotelli has big plans. “I still want to play for the national team,” said the 35-year-old, who last played for Squadra Azzurra under Roberto Mancini in September 2018.