The former AC Milan and Juventus midfielder feels the striker’s future depends entirely on himself and believes Paul Pogba will be worth over €100 million soon
The only person capable of saving Mario Balotelli’s career is the AC Milan striker himself, according to Edgar Davids.
The 25-year-old striker has failed to live up to the promise he showed when he broke through to the Inter first team due to his controversial character, which has seen him fall out with the likes of Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho.
The Italy international returned to Milan this summer on loan from Liverpool, after a failed stint at Anfield last season.
The move to San Siro is seen as Balotelli’s last chance to carve out a bright career and ex-Milan midfielder Davids believes it is all down to the player.
“The only person who can help Balotelli is Balotelli,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “When you change team and you have the right mindset and a coach who respects you, everything becomes easier.
“In the end, though, everything will depend only on him. I have seen players with half his talent become key for great teams: the mentality is what counts.”
While Balotelli is looking to salvage his career, Paul Pogba is in the early stages of a bright one and Davids feels the France international will earn Juventus a huge amount of money in the future.
“The market will decide how much he is worth. He has incredible potential and everything he needs to become one of the best players in the world. I think he could well be worth €100 million.”
The Bianconeri have had a rough start to the season, losing to Udinese and Roma in the first two weeks of the season, and Davids feels they will recover from it, though he feels they are missing Arturo Vidal, who left to join Bayern Munich in the summer.
“I’m not worried because after four or five years of winning everything it is normal to have a decline. It is important to make sure that it passes quickly though.
“You have to give time for new players to adjust. I am sure that Juve will reach high levels this season.
“When you start with two defeats in a row, you are automatically no longer seen as favourites. The good thing is that you can only get better.
“It is important to have tough and strong players to win back the ball and give consistency to a team. Vidal is one of the best in the world in that role. If you don’t have someone like that, you must change the way you play.”