Super Mario Balotelli: Milan's Signing of the Season
Published by Zahed Saifi (Columnist), Edited by Daniel Lewis (Editor-in-Chief) on March 27, 2013 in The Penn Sport Report. Click to read article in The Penn Sport Report.
The Associated Press
Adriano Galliani, CEO of AC Milan, was clearly taking a huge risk by signing Mario Balotelli from Manchester City a few months ago.
Despite the striker’s immense talent and potential, he is mostly known for his off-the-pitch antics and controversial actions, the latest of which had led to public training ground bust-up with his former coach Roberto Mancini.
Opinions were divided as to whether the £17m young forward would be able to rescue Milan from a disastrous season, with many fearing that he would be an additional burden to the team.
However, it did not take Balotelli much time to silence his critics as he netted twice in his debut to secure Milan a 2- 1 victory over Udinese. Balotelli seemed to form an almost-telepathic understanding with his teammates, particularly El Shaarawy, who directly contributed to Mario’s first goal.
Since then, Balotelli has scored seven goals in six games for his new club and has led the team to a top three position in the league.
Defenders have found it quite difficult to contain Balotelli for the full 90 minutes and his presence upfront has given El Shaarawy and M’Baye Niang more space to maneuver forward. Furthermore, his physicality and stature has definitely provided Milan with an additional aerial dimension that had been lacking prior to his arrival.
Balotelli’s consistency with Milan has brought him great accolades from leading figures in the soccer world. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has labeled him as an extraordinary player, while Galliani has tabbed him to claim the Ballon d’Or in the future. His teammates have also been very impressed by his performances and his growth as a player and as a man.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to PSG last summer had clearly left a void in the Milan side. The club’s leading figure, star player, and motivator was no longer there and the club was at fault for not replacing him earlier with another quality forward.
However, with the late signing of Balotelli, Milan has certainly found a new leader to guide the team for the remainder of the campaign. His presence in the squad has undoubtedly motivated both the players and the fans and assured them that the club is still able to attract the world’s finest footballers and fight for Europe’s premium competitions.
Despite the striker’s immense talent and potential, he is mostly known for his off-the-pitch antics and controversial actions, the latest of which had led to public training ground bust-up with his former coach Roberto Mancini.
Opinions were divided as to whether the £17m young forward would be able to rescue Milan from a disastrous season, with many fearing that he would be an additional burden to the team.
However, it did not take Balotelli much time to silence his critics as he netted twice in his debut to secure Milan a 2- 1 victory over Udinese. Balotelli seemed to form an almost-telepathic understanding with his teammates, particularly El Shaarawy, who directly contributed to Mario’s first goal.
Since then, Balotelli has scored seven goals in six games for his new club and has led the team to a top three position in the league.
Defenders have found it quite difficult to contain Balotelli for the full 90 minutes and his presence upfront has given El Shaarawy and M’Baye Niang more space to maneuver forward. Furthermore, his physicality and stature has definitely provided Milan with an additional aerial dimension that had been lacking prior to his arrival.
Balotelli’s consistency with Milan has brought him great accolades from leading figures in the soccer world. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has labeled him as an extraordinary player, while Galliani has tabbed him to claim the Ballon d’Or in the future. His teammates have also been very impressed by his performances and his growth as a player and as a man.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to PSG last summer had clearly left a void in the Milan side. The club’s leading figure, star player, and motivator was no longer there and the club was at fault for not replacing him earlier with another quality forward.
However, with the late signing of Balotelli, Milan has certainly found a new leader to guide the team for the remainder of the campaign. His presence in the squad has undoubtedly motivated both the players and the fans and assured them that the club is still able to attract the world’s finest footballers and fight for Europe’s premium competitions.