From fireworks to fights: The wild side of Mario Balotelli

'Super Mario' Balotelli has found himself in the headlines on more than one of occasion, it must be said, for all the wrong reasons, as the star forward has a penchant for mischief-making.

Balotelli has done crazy things during his career, more outside than on the pitch. Let's take a look at some of the Italian star's greatest antics.

One of the most talked-about things in Balotelli's career took place in 2011, when he let off fireworks in his bathroom. It was as you could imagine, a fire hazard and according to The Guardian, some towels caught fire and created a small blaze. The fire department had to intervene, and Balotelli had to sleep in a hotel the night before the Manchester derby.

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In a stroke of marketing genius, the city of Manchester took the opportunity to raise more awareness about fireworks, making Balotelli Manchester's ambassador for fireworks safety, as reported by The Guardian. Balotelli, to his credit, took it all in good spirit.

The fireworks incident took place on the night before the Manchester Derby. The lack of sleep did not affect Balotelli's performance, however, as he scored twice in a big 1-6 win for City.

Balotelli scored the first goal in the Derby and unveiled a shirt that said 'Why always me?'. It is not clear what exactly those words referred to, but he certainly wrote his name into the Premier League history books that night.

In the summer of 2011, Balotelli and City played a friendly against MLS side LA Galaxy. After having opened the score with a penalty, the Italian claimed the limelight when he attempted to score with a spinning back-heel.

Balotelli squandered the chance to double his side's lead and drew the ire of then City manager Roberto Mancini, who substituted the striker and almost got into a fight with him.

In August 2010, Balotelli crashed his car on his way to training, as reported by ESPN. Nothing mind-blowing, you would think, until the police arrived.

Balotteli was reportedly carrying £5000 of cash on him. When the police asked him why, he surprised by saying: "Because I am rich." Never change, Mario.

The aforementioned Galaxy incident illustrates that Balotelli and Mancini were not the best friends at City. On top of that episode, the both of them got into an argument on the club's training ground in January 2013, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Balotelli reportedly crossed the line with a harsh tackle on then teammate Scott Sinclair, after which Mancini ordered the striker to leave the pitch. Balotelli refused, and Mancini tried to get him off by pushing him. At the end of that month, City got rid of Balotelli, who was sold to AC Milan. Coincidence?

One would almost forget that Balotelli also had and still has an incredible talent to play football. He scored one of his greatest goals in the EURO 2012 semi-finals against Germany.

After opening the score with a header, Balotelli put a rocket past Manuel Neuer to make it 0-2 for the Azzurri. 'Super Mario' celebrated as only he can, showing off his impressive six-pack and with a look on his face that could kill any opponent...

In January 2019, Balotelli was signed by Olympique Marseille. The striker made just 15 appearances for OM, in which he scored 8 goals. One of those goals was a spectacular overhead kick, against AS Saint-Étienne.

The celebration of the goal was, if possible, even more spectacular. Balotelli was handed a mobile phone by a cameraman and shot the entire scene on Instagram Live. Epic.

Balotelli has always had a love-hate relationship with the fans of the clubs he played for. At Internazionale, he was praised for his talent, but despised for wearing a Milan shirt on the popular Italian TV programme 'Striscia la notizia'.

The incident took place in March 2010, just a few months before Balotelli was sold to Manchester City. Football or 'calcio' is serious business in Italy's unforgiving fashion capital...

Balotelli and bibs, not a great combination. In November 2011, 'Super Mario' struggled to put on no less than two bibs during a City training session, despite the help of some staff.

The incident was much to the delight of then teammate Edin Dzeko, who later re-enacted the scene and made fun of Balotelli.

Balotelli has had a great football career so far, but will probably be remembered more for his antics off the pitch. But can you blame us?

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