Mario Balotelli has once again caused a scandal. The striker set off a firecracker at his club – in the middle of the dressing room.
Once again, ex-Italian international Mario Balotelli has underlined his image as a problem professional. A video of the 33-year-old is currently circulating on social networks, which was probably recorded in the dressing room of his club Adana Demirspor.
Balotelli can be seen sitting shirtless on a bench next to a teammate. He is obviously holding a New Year’s Eve firecracker in his hand. Balotelli lights it and throws it into the middle of the dressing room, where several teammates and supervisors are. The firecracker explodes. One of Balotelli’s teammates, who is passing by, flinches in shock.
The firecracker campaign fits into the turbulent career of the ex-player from Inter Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool FC and AC Milan, among others. Despite his talent, Balotelli had repeatedly made negative headlines in the past with his escapades outside the football field.
Some examples: During his time in Nice, he drove his then advisor Mino Raiola’s Bentley against a post. When he played in Manchester he collected around 11,000 euros in parking fines. His cars are said to have been towed 27 times. He is said to have thrown darts at a youth player at City.
In Germany, Balotelli is remembered primarily for his sporting abilities – although not in a good way. The attacker scored a brace against the DFB team in the semi-finals of the 2012 European Championships and thus shot them out of the tournament. His shirtless celebration afterwards is legendary to this day.