The striker opens up: “With more chances in the national team, I could have reached Riva’s level. I had a great time at Barcelona when I was a kid. Inter or Milan? I supported Ronaldo, but…”
No special celebrations. Mario Balotelli has not organized anything for his 35th birthday tomorrow and has asked for only one gift: “Health, for me and my loved ones.”
Where has Super Mario gone? The naturally effervescent player with the (deserved?) bad boy label.
“Once upon a time, everything was black and white for me. Now I’m learning to see the shades of gray. It’s not easy, but I’m getting used to it.”
Do you feel more aware as a father?
“I was never allowed to be fully present, and over time I realized how wonderful this responsibility is.”
How long has it been since you’ve seen your children?
“It’s better with Pia because Raffaella is more available, but with Lion it’s more difficult. Until certain laws change…”
Do Pia and Lion play sports?
“She’s good at karate, while he shows promise at soccer.”
How are you as a father?
“At eight years old, it’s too early to say, but my father Franco used to take me to the park to play, and after a while he said to me, ‘I don’t need to teach you anything, just talk to the ball.’”
Where will we see you on the pitch?
“I’d like to answer, but I can’t (laughs).”
So you have a dream?
“To play for Real Madrid…”
Really?
“I’m looking for a club that will give me confidence. I want to play for another two or three years. Then I’ll go to my brother Enock.“ Where? ”He’s playing for Vado in the amateur league. We’ll see. Anyway, I promised him I’d end my career playing with him.“ In the meantime, you’re training. Are you strong? ”I’m fine. I feel ready.“
And you practice Muay Thai.
”In England, I met a friend who practices Thai boxing, and in June I was there on vacation for almost a month. I trained with world champion Rodtang. I enjoy it, and it’s good for me. It’s a tough sport.”
How do you see the new Serie A?
“I don’t watch TV, I don’t keep up to date.”
Controversial?
“I love soccer. But too many things are changing. I see lots of athletes who are 1.90 meters tall on the field, but no one jumps over anyone anymore. That’s also because now, as soon as kids do a nutmeg, they get punished.”
Didn’t that happen to you?
“It was fair. Even though I still dream about that period I spent in Barcelona, Moratti offered me more at Lumezzane, so I moved to Inter.“
What do you remember about that experience?
”It was wonderful. I was with the Dos Santos brothers, Thiago Alcantara, and Bojan. We played freely. They only taught us technique: stopping and passing on the fly, no tactics. It was a joy to go out on the pitch. That team was unbeatable; we won 15-0.”
Yet you had plenty of satisfaction at Inter and Milan.
“Of course. I got a lot out of both Milan clubs and gave a lot back.”
But are you an Inter or Milan fan?
“As a boy, I supported the Nerazzurri because my idol was Ronaldo the Phenomenon, but I’ve never hidden my fondness for the Rossoneri. But being a fan is something else.”
Allegri is back at Milan and there’s talk of Galliani returning.
“I’m happy for Max and it’s good to see Galliani back. They are two important figures.”
Your Brescia team has sunk into Serie C.
“I was captain in Serie A and when they took the armband off me, I made it clear: ‘You’ll realize who your president is’. Luckily, Pasini is now gathering a lot of energy around him after hitting rock bottom.“
What do you feel is missing in your career?
”In general, I could have put in more effort. I still regret my time with the national team: I could have played more.”
Yet you scored 14 goals, like Rivera.
“Let’s leave it at that. If I’d had more chances, maybe I could have got closer to Riva. Someone didn’t want me in the national team… But that’s water under the bridge now.”
We’re missing the World Cup. What do you think of Gattuso?
“Rino deserves my best wishes. He’ll give it his all.”
Meanwhile, Italy lacks quality strikers.
“It’s a serious problem. Young players aren’t given continuity; they’re sent to lower leagues and after a few months they’re already changing teams. They get lost.”
Pio Esposito, Francesco Camarda, and Lorenzo Venturino. Who will break through?
“I trained with Venturino at Genoa, he’s got good shots: he deserves trust. I’ve also seen Camarda in a few clips with Milan and I’m curious to see how he’ll do at Lecce. But I especially like Pio.”
What about him?
“I know his brother Seba and I’ve seen him play several times in Brescia. He has everything it takes to make it big. I hope he gets his chance at Inter, he could be the surprise of the season. But to stay at the top, you have to break the ice.“ What do you think of the Lookman case? ”There are a lot of strange stories in the transfer market, and if you don’t know them well, you risk saying something inaccurate. And I see too many comments on this story.”
But you must have formed an opinion.
“First of all, I’ve regretted that gesture at San Siro for a long time, when I took off my Inter shirt. That’s why I now say that, with the mindset I have today, I wouldn’t have deleted the photos of me wearing the Atalanta shirt from social media.”
Why?
“It’s true that there are no longer any club icons, that players leave sooner or later. But the fans have nothing to do with that. They deserve gratitude and respect. And that doesn’t just apply to Atalanta fans.”
Did you follow the exploits of Kelly Doualla, the European Under-20 champion at just 15 years old?
“I’m happy for her and for this new wave of Italian talent. I read that her idols are volleyball players Egonu and Silla, and it’s good that sport is discovering new faces. For my part, I stand by my choice of Italy out of heart and a sense of belonging. On the other hand, I criticize those who, with dual citizenship, opt for the strongest national team, therefore out of calculation.”
