Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli
 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Mario Barwuah Balotelli[1] |
| Date of birth |
12 August 1990 (age 22)[2] |
| Place of birth |
Palermo, Italy |
| Height |
1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] |
| Playing position |
Striker[2] |
| Club information |
| Current club |
Manchester City |
| Number |
45 |
| Youth career |
| 2001–2005 |
Lumezzane |
| 2006–2007 |
Internazionale |
| Senior career* |
| Years |
Team |
Apps† |
(Gls)† |
| 2005–2007 |
Lumezzane |
2 |
(0) |
| 2006–2007 |
→ Internazionale (loan) |
0 |
(0) |
| 2007–2010 |
Internazionale |
59 |
(20) |
| 2010– |
Manchester City |
49 |
(19) |
| National team‡ |
| 2008–2010 |
Italy U21 |
16 |
(6) |
| 2010– |
Italy |
16 |
(5) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 October 2012.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2012 |
Mario Barwuah Balotelli (
Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo baloˈtɛlli]; born
Mario Barwuah; 12 August 1990) is an
Italian footballer who plays as a
striker for
Manchester City and the
Italy national team.
[4][5] He started his professional football career at
Lumezzane and played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at
FC Barcelona,
[6] and subsequently joining
Internazionale in 2007. Inter manager
Roberto Mancini
brought Balotelli into the first team, but when Mancini left,
Balotelli's disciplinary record fell away. He had a strained
relationship with new head coach
José Mourinho and was suspended from Inter's first team in January 2009 after a number of disciplinary problems.
In March 2010, he came under criticism by Inter fans after he appeared on the Italian TV show
Striscia la notizia, wearing an
Milan
jersey. This damaged the prospect of him having a long career at Inter,
but he did make several appearances after that. With doubts over his
career at Inter, former coach Roberto Mancini had since moved to
Manchester City and decided to give Balotelli a fresh chance at a new
club. He joined Manchester City in August 2010, where his performances
and off-field activities have continued to be enigmatic and
unpredictable. Balotelli, nicknamed
Super Mario,
[7] earned his first cap for the
Italian national team on 10 August 2010 in a friendly match against the
Côte d'Ivoire.
Early life
Mario Balotelli was born in
Palermo,
Sicily, to
Christian Ghanaian parents Thomas and Rose Barwuah. The family moved to
Bagnolo Mella in the
province of Brescia,
Lombardy, shortly after he was born.
[8]
As an infant, he had life-threatening complications with his intestines
which led to a series of operations, although his condition had
improved by 1992. Mario's health problems and the family's cramped
living conditions meant the Barwuahs decided to ask for the help of
social services who recommended that he be fostered.
[8]
In 1993, the Barwuah family agreed to entrust the three-year-old boy
to an Italian foster family, the Balotellis. At first, he stayed at the
Balotellis during the weekdays, and returned to his biological parents
on weekends, but after a while it was arranged for him to be permanently
fostered by the Balotellis.
[9] His foster parents Francesco and Silvia Balotelli, who have Italian
Jewish heritage,
[10] lived in a large house in the affluent village of
Concesio,
Brescia.
[8]
When Mario Balotelli became famous, his biological parents asked for
his return. He later accused them of "glory hunting", stating that they
only wanted him back because of the prominence he had gained.
[11] According to Law 91 of 5 February 1992,
[12]
Balotelli had to wait until his 18th birthday to request Italian
citizenship, as the Balotellis had not adopted him. Balotelli officially
gained citizenship in
Concesio on 13 August 2008.
[13] After the ceremony he released the following statement:
| “ |
I am Italian, I feel Italian, I will forever play with the Italian National Team.
Mario Balotelli[14]
|
” |
|
Mario has three biological siblings: Abigail, Enoch and Angel Barwuah.
[15] Enoch Barwuah, two years his junior, had a trial at English
Premier League side
Stoke City in December 2011.
[16] and
Sunderland in January 2012,
[17] before signing with
Salford City on 16 November 2012.
[18]
