Mario Balotelli Italy’s national coach Cesare Prandelli has issued a stark warning to Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli: behave or stay at home this summer. “When Balotelli begins to behave well he will get a call-up,” Prandelli told reporters this week. “He has been handed eight games in suspensions so far in England, which is a lot. A great player must be able to face provocation and should not react.”
The omission of City’s ever-controversial front man from Italy’s squad against United States was one of the few points of interest amid the otherwise unnecessary distractions of the midweek friendlies. Indeed, after the Azzuri’s 1-0 defeat, Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport pleaded with the player to pick up the phone and rebuild bridges to national coach Prandelli. “Call, Mario,” the headline read. “Call for the love of God”.
But Prandelli responded to questions about the player by suggesting that Balotelli only has himself to blame for his continued absence from the international set-up. “He can still have an extraordinary career but there is no justification for certain types of behaviour,” he said.
Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, countered by insisting it’s not his client’s responsibility to call the Italian team manager to beg for inclusion. The dialogue must come from Prandelli first. “If a player is not called up, it should be up to the coach to pick up the phone and explain the reason. It has always been that way,” he said. “If Prandelli does not want to take Balotelli to the European Championships he must say it now.”
Balotelli himself has yet to be drawn on the issue, but it’s clear that there is more than a little hype surrounding the player that perhaps doesn’t match the reality. “My public image is absolutely not a fair reflection of who I am,” he explained last year. “Sometimes I do the wrong thing and there are things I regret. People who know me are aware I\'m not a bad guy but I\'m shy.”
Not goal-shy, of course. He has scored 10 goals from just 15 Premier League appearances this season as City chase a first title since 1968.