By Richard Hall (@Gentleman_Ultra)

Sheffield, England, November 2007. The crisp air of a cold English winter sees the night draw in, turning Bramall Lane into a dark and foreboding place. The Blades are celebrating their 150th anniversary and have reached out to Internazionale of Milan to help them commemorate the occasion. Despite two grand old names of football meeting up to lock horns, the game is a drab affair and despite the Nerazzurri winning 5-2 the few in attendance will by now have forgotten much of this game. That is aside from one bright young spark by the name of Mario Balotelli, who scored a brace that night and began a story that to date has contained a multitude of highs and lows. Since this innocuous beginning, Balotelli has been to the top but now it seems like he is in free fall.

What do Inter, Manchester United, Chievo, Palermo, Bologna, Udinese, Nice, Sion Everton, Port Vale, Wolves, QPR and Crystal Palace all have in common? That’s right, they have all been linked to ‘Super Mario’ since June 2016. These are supposed to represent serious links and do not even take into account the obvious attention that comes from China.  Is this perhaps the media simply having fun? Linking this one time sought after front man to any club going? Or is it his agent, Mino Raiola, desperately trying to auction off one of his assets?

The Milanese will sleep easier knowing that with Roberto Mancini’s departure from Inter, it is very unlikely he’ll be calling the San Siro home again. The talk of Manchester United seems only to exist because Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli all share the same agent but the odds of the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City striker lining up for the Red Devils any time soon are very long indeed. The possibilities that hold more credence seem to be those linking him with a return to Serie A, especially since the recent link to Nice has now been quashed.

“They didn’t call us to make us an offer,” Jean-Pierre Rivère (Nice President) explained to RMC. “We’re looking for a striker and therefore the rumour mill is free to start. Balotelli is one name among others. I would like to calm this clamour, it’s not something that’s active”. Unfortunately for the Italian striker this seems to be the constant response. The troubled 26-year old has a reputation and is also on good money at Liverpool meaning that most clubs would struggle to find the capital for such a high-risk gamble.

And there’s no doubt about it, he is a gamble. While there’s no questioning his ability, Balotelli has failed to prove himself for quite some time. Never prolific but incredibly effective in big games, his precocious talent emerged while still at Inter, scoring 20 goals in 59 appearances. His antics off the field drew as much attention to him as did his on field displays but the two had a correlation. He played with childlike abandon, was a thorn in the side of defenders, often cheeky, fearless and prone to mood swings that would either result in brilliance or disaster.

It was at Inter where he arguably enjoyed his best seasons. Even Manchester City fans, who will remember him fondly for ‘that assist’ for Sergio Aguero and the goal he shrugged in nonchalantly with his shoulder, were already seeing him in decline. At Inter he mesmerized and his Paul Gascoigne like persona (off the field) won over the hearts of many. Fans of Liverpool, and even Milan would perhaps look at his time at the Nerazzurri and raise an eyebrow saying, ‘wow, he really was good.’

During his Inter years he would attack defenders with pace, executing numerous step overs and played as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Who can forget his cheeky penalty against Roma when he almost stopped on his run up before stroking it in? He loved playing against the Giallorossi and the delicate chip at San Siro over Doni was another beautifully taken goal. One of the main characteristics he exhibited during this time was his work rate and determination when the chips were down. He was always a player who had two sides but both two sides used to have positives. He was either scoring ridiculous goals (see free kick v Rubin Kazan 2010) or, if something had frustrated him, ‘tackling’ players and working for the team, as was the case when he came up against and physically outmuscled Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese was still playing for Manchester United.

He then moved to Manchester City and, although he was affectionately nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ by fans, his off the field firework displays, parking fines (many of which were falsified) were beginning to take their toll. He was becoming a figure of ridicule rather than the footballer who offered so much. When he went to play for Milan he was told to clean up his act and a very different character emerged. Gone were the silly haircuts and the multi-coloured boots and a more professional looking Mario took to the field. Despite moments of absolute brilliance, his free kick against Udinese and the glorious strike against Bologna to name but two, his overall game had tapered off. Now when the going got tough, the mood became sulky and the work rate disappeared. It seemed as though Mario wasn’t Mario anymore and this professional looking version was nothing but a facade.

Whilst it is impossible to say whether his relationship troubles, his loss of identity or the constant scrutiny had made him simply not care, one thing is certain, his game suffered. His move to Liverpool was seen as ‘another last chance’ and this gamble by the Merseyside club completely backfired. Now he is stuck with an admirable wage but nowhere to play and despite the apparent offers from all over the globe, nothing is concrete.

Balotelli does not seem to want to cash in and move to China but a move to another top club is unlikely. If he chose to drop down and ply his trade at Chievo, Bologna or Udinese then this may bring out the best in him again. Being central to a club, the be all and end all to the fans and the creative talent that they would have never thought would grace their field, just may give him back his edge. There is a beautiful talent in Balotelli and many have tried to release it. It would be criminal to football if we were never to been seen again but he needs somewhere or someone to help him find his love for the game.