- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Welcome back to the Premier League Mario Balotelli, we’ve missed you.
The Italian may be trouble, but every Premer League era needs an enigmatic star. The 90s had Eric Cantona, the 2010s have Mario Balotelli.
In terms of his football career, Cantona blossomed late. The flare that had caused issues throughout his career was later channelled into the way he played his football and he became instrumental in four title-winning seasons under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Balotelli has shown flashes of brilliance; periods of dominance where he threatened to become a similarly priceless commodity. His heroics in Warsaw for his country spring to mind, as does his tensed shirt-less midriff. But, he hasn’t been able to sustain that quality of performance as of yet.
His transfer fee is perhaps best representative of this inconsistency. Liverpool is believed to have paid 16 million pounds for the 24-year-old – a fee indicative of a player considered dispensable by his former club rather than invaluable.
Balotelli was effectively shooed by manager Filippo Inzaghi. Despite his technical ability, the decision was clearly made that Balotelli brings more trouble than talent wherever he goes.
For him to then end up at Liverpool is curious to say the least. Disciplinary issues are not new to the Reds.
Despite Luis Suarez’s enormous contribution over the last two seasons, three separate incidents persuaded the Mersyside club to part with the Uruguayan – as did 75 million pounds. By purchasing Balotelli, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has effectively replaced a rogue with a scallywag.
His latest signing doesn’t tuck into player’s arms, but he does have the knack of doing obscure things off the pitch and upsetting dressing rooms. As far as the well-being of a football club is concerned, the latter is more damaging especially when you factor in the club’s climb up the table last season.
Yet, for 16 million pounds, in modern day football at least, this is a risk worth taking and that’s why the transaction has been completed. Balotelli only yielded Liverpool’s fourth-highest transfer fee of the eight players signed this season, albeit he could easily turn out to be the best investment.
In theory at least, anything under 20 million pounds for a player who scored 14-goals in 30 Seria A league-games last season is a shrewd bit of business.
On the flipside, if Balotelli does act up, the amount dolled out for him would not be so much of a hit that he can’t be expelled from first team action and once again moved on after a season or two. Rodgers appropriately coined the transfer a ‘calculated risk’.
At just 24, Balotelli does have time to redeem himself even if he does fluff up this move with fresh indiscretions. But it could be years before a big club would be willing to make an investment in him, if ever, and that is why the penny could finally drop for the talented forward at Anfield.
Balotelli won’t be expected to transform on his own either. His new manager has indicated a willingness to mentor the troubled star and curtail his wild nature rather than eradicate it. More than before, you expect Balotelli will appreciative this sort of nurturing management.
Brendan Rodgers faces a different challenge to the one Sir Alex Ferguson was assigned 22-year-ago when he signed Cantona from Leeds United, there’s no disputing that. However, like Ferguson, Rodgers has the rare opportunity to turn a charismatic talent into a legend.
Whatever the outcome, let’s just hope Mario is still good for the odd gag, even if it doesn’t involve fireworks or training ground punch-ups.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.