Mercurial Mario Balotelli moves to Nice

Mario Balotelli playing for former club Liverpool

 NICE -- It would appear that Mario Balotelli’s English odyssey has finally come to a close, after the Italian joined OGC Nice on a free transfer from Liverpool. As is common with the troubled striker, the move was not without its fair share of drama, as Balotelli’s agent vilified Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for his role in the deal.

 Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola, also the representative for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba who both completed transfers to Manchester United earlier in the summer, is known for his hard-hitting style and take no prisoners approach to dealings. The Dutch born Italian has been very critical of Klopp in recent days branding the Liverpool boss as “wrong.”

 "For me, he didn't take into account that he was talking to a human being," said Raiola. "Mario has been exemplary, he never complained about training alone. To say that it was wrong of Klopp would be an understatement.”

 These comments will come as no surprise to both Liverpool and Manchester City supporters, who have long put up with the Mario circus, which surrounds the 26-year old Italian star. For his part, Jurgen Klopp did his best to dismiss the allegations commenting, “We did not isolate him. It’s a free world so he can say what he wants. That is part of the business I am not interested in.”

 Prior to his Liverpool days, Balotelli first announced himself on football’s grandest stage when he netted the opener in Manchester City’s 6-1 annihilation of their greatest rivals, Manchester United, in October 2011. Balotelli had signed for City the previous summer following a fall out with the then Internazionale manager Jose Mourinho and this has become a recurring theme during the Italian star’s short career.

 After countless disciplinary problems under Italian boss Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, including an over-zealous firework display, which led to a charred bathroom and an unwelcome reputation as a pyromaniac, Balotelli returned to Italy to play for Milan. The period that followed was perhaps the most successful in the striker’s career to date, with Balotelli finding the net 26 times in 43 games and miraculously avoiding any major disciplinary faux pas.

 It came as somewhat of a surprise when, in 2014, Balotelli agreed to return to the England, in a bid to help Liverpool to their first league title in more than two decades and settle some personal, unfinished business in the Premier League. The Italian felt he had a lot of offer the Merseyside club in the wake of Luis Suarez’s departure but for reasons unbeknown to many, it just did not work out.    With Milan calling for the second time in his career in August 2015, Liverpool and the not so super Mario were both keen to seal a deal with the Italian returning to Merseyside this summer after a season long loan.

 Mario’s kart has now found its way to the sunnier climbs of the Côte d’Azur and OGC Nice. After an impressive campaign last season, the Azuréens find themselves third in Ligue 1 after the opening three fixtures this time round. In a statement, the club underlined the hope that Balotelli would be able to rediscover his form and spearhead the team.

 “We hope that Nice, in a family atmosphere, will help him rediscover his joy for the game, said Jean-Pierre Rivère, President of OGC Nice. “We both know that nothing will be easy, but with the desire and support of all our fans, we’ll help him to flourish and bring his talent to the service of the team.”

 DTW