Regarded as a promising young player, Balotelli is a versatile striker who possesses all the qualities of a fast, powerful and goal-scoring player. However, despite his talent, he has always been criticized for his lack of professionalism on and off the pitch.

Balotelli began his professional career with Lugano in 2005, moving to Inter Milan in 2007, winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League with Inter in 2010. He reunited with former Inter manager Roberto Mancini at Manchester City in 2010, winning the Premier League and FA Cup. In January 2013, he returned to Italy, spending one season with AC Milan before moving to Premier League club Liverpool the following season.

After a one-season loan spell at AC Milan during his two seasons at Liverpool, Balotelli moved to France, where he played for Ligue 1 clubs Nice and Marseille. He returned to Italy for a third time, joining Serie A club Brescia in the summer of 2019 and Serie B club Mezza in late 2020. He also spent time with Turkish club Adana Demirspor and Swiss club Cercle Brugge, before joining Serie A club Genoa on a one-year deal this season.

Balotelli made his international debut in a friendly against Ivory Coast in 2010 and went on to make 30 appearances for the national team, scoring 14 goals. He played for his country at UEFA Euro 2012, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, helping them reach the final at Euro 2012 and winning the bronze medal in the Confederations Cup semi-final against Germany, scoring 2 goals. He is Italy's joint-top scorer at UEFA Euro 2012 and is also the joint-top scorer at the Confederations Cup.

Mancini, who has managed Balotelli twice and has had frequent problems with him, said of him: "If I had played with this guy 10 years ago, I would have punched him in the face every day. There are many ways to help a guy like Balotelli. I don't speak to him every day, but I speak to him because I don't want him to lose his quality. If Mario is not one of the best players in the world, it's his fault because he has all the qualities to be one. Mario could be one of the top players in Europe. I don't want him to lose his talent. I know him, he's not a bad person, he's a great player. But right now, I feel bad for him because he's losing his talent and his qualities. I hope he can understand what's wrong with him and his future. And he can change his behavior in the future. "

If he hadn't had bad habits, Balotelli would have been a world-class player, and the whole football community has accepted that. Now, he's just a normal player and a team he wants to play for, and he's been criticized for it.

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