Mario Balotelli continues to look to push back into the picture for the national side and is aiming to get back in the squad for the 2022 World Cup. There is no doubting this is now going to be even more difficult due to the incredible run of success that Italy have been on, that has been shown at the European championships. This saw them go on and land the title, with the side being supported at sites like here. So, what exactly has happened to Balotelli?
Mario is now set to head to Italy to join Turkish club Adana Demirspor this summer, which has been stated by the Club’s chairman. The former Golden ball award winner of 2010 is now looking to get his career back on track, as he has now become abit of a journeyman having moved to six different clubs since he left Manchester City back in 2013.
Source: https://www.trtspor.com.tr/haber/futbol/transfer-gundemi/adana-demirspordan-balotelliye-3-yillik-sozlesme-234494.htmlHowever, there is no doubting his ability and he really rose to prominence in the 2009/10 season when representing Inter Milan. He played 40 times across all competitions for the side, which also saw him score 11 goals and pick up a further nine assists. It helped the side to the Treble, with victory in the Serie A, Coppa Italia and also the Champions league. Balotelli was just 20 years old at the time but had become one of the top young talents across Europe and it resulted in him being picked up by Manchester City for £22.5m, with them in the process of building a team to win the league title, following the takeover of the club.
Balotelli then spent three years at Manchester City and was able to make 54 appearances in the Premier league, scoring 20 goals and also picking up one assist. The latter being the all-important one, as he set up Sergio Aguero for the title winning goal back in 2012. He then continued this form and played a starring role for Italy, as he helped them to reach the final of the European championships in 2012, as he scored a brace over Germany in the semi-finals.
However, his career has now gone backwards, and it has led to him continuing to move clubs, following spells at the likes of AC Milan, Nice, Marseille and Brescia. Next it then appears to be the move to Turkey, so could this finally be the changing point in his career? Balotelli has barely featured in the national side since his appearances at the 2012 European championships, but he has real hope of getting back into the squad for the World Cup next year. He will have to make real improvement and star in Turkey and give them no choice but to include him, with Ciro Immobile being the key starter at present, with Andrea Belotti as back up.