Mario Balotelli said he will only “start to think I need to change something about myself” when kids ignore him.
The Liverpool and Italy striker spoke to Talksport.com about his career path and dealing with constant media scrutiny.
“Every morning, when I wake up, I think that maybe yesterday people are speaking bad things about me.
Mario Balotelli said he will only “start to think I need to change something about myself” when kids ignore him.
The Liverpool and Italy striker spoke to Talksport.com about his career path and dealing with constant media scrutiny.
“Every morning, when I wake up, I think that maybe yesterday people are speaking bad things about me.
“But then I see kids coming up to me, like today, and I think I’m not doing that bad. I could do better – of course, I could do way better – but kids are natural, they are honest. If they look at you and don’t like you, they don’t come up to you.
“So if I see them always coming up to me, then it means I can’t be that bad, either as a footballer or a person.
“When kids stop asking for my autograph or a picture or whatever, then maybe I will start to think that I need to change something about myself. This is why I love kids. And dogs.”
SuperMario also discussed how he fell in love with the sport as a child and his desire to keep those feelings alive.
“Football has always meant freedom. I go on the pitch and I get to do whatever I want. I remember when I was really young, when I used to go and play in the park with my friends. I always used to come at the last minute, and then whichever team I was going on was always winning. The other team never wanted me to play.
“But I always felt free, and that’s still the same now as it was then. On the pitch, you think only of what is on the pitch.
“You have to try whatever you can to be the best. If it works, it works. Sometimes, like now, in this period, it doesn’t work so well. But you keep trying, and then it comes. It’s not difficult, psychologically.”