The enigmatic figure that was former Reds star saw himself first brought to English football by the big-spending City in 2010, having shown promise with Inter Milan.
Just three years later, however, with more sparks flying off the pitch than on it, he returned to Italy with AC Milan for a single season before the English top flight once again beckoned, this time the calls sounding from Anfield.
Despite the fact that this choice to return to the Premier League would later be dubbed the worst decision of the striker’s life, Balotelli expressed his surprise at the reception Reds fans gave him, considering the slander he would get from them during his spell in Manchester.
“I didn’t expect it,” Balotelli admitted upon signing in 2014. “Because, I’ve always been playing against Liverpool, and whenever I played against them, the fans weren’t nice with me but that’s normal – it’s football!
“Now that I play for Liverpool, I can see the expectation in people. They’re very happy and that makes me very happy at the same time. When I play with this team [at Anfield], it’s going to be nice for sure. To play here for Liverpool excites me, but if you’re an opponent it’s difficult.”
However, after a single season and 28 games, the Italian had mustered just four goals in all competitions. With £16million spent on the then 24-year-old never to be recouped, he would head back out on loan to AC Milan before leaving for Nice on a free transfer in 2016.
Liverpool’s Italian striker Mario Balotelli reacts after a missed opportunity at goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Everton at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool on September 27, 2014.
Though this saga would be deemed the worst move of his career, the fans who once berated but so warmly welcomed the striker to Liverpool remained the one positive from his time on Merseyside.
“Joining Liverpool was the worst decision of my life,” Balotelli later admitted to Canal Plus. “Apart from the fantastic fans and some players with whom I have an excellent relationship, I did not like the club.
“I had two coaches at Liverpool, [Brendan] Rodgers and [Jurgen] Klopp for a bit, I did not like their methods and their personality. I never really felt well there. I am nothing like Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], for example.
“You could confront Zlatan with lions, and he would still be calm. If you surround him with good people, he will still be calm. That’s the way he is. But I need to be more relaxed and have surroundings that work for me.”
Balotelli, 34, now plays for Italian outfit Genoa, with his two former English sides set to clash later today (December 1), promising to produce title implications.
