Mario Balotelli predicts Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina will end in a spectacular draw, as he believes both Inter and Milan will score.
Despite declaring himself a Milan fan in the past, the Italian striker said he has ‘affection’ for both clubs as he spoke in an interview with DAZN Italy.
After coming through the Nerazzurri’s youth ranks, a 17-year-old Balotelli made his professional with Inter, which he swapped for Manchester City three years later before returning to Serie A to wear the Rossoneri’s jersey in 2013.
Balotelli predicts spectacular draw in Derby della Madonnina
Balotelli joked about the possibility of going to San Siro to watch the match on Sunday, as it would implicate exposing himself to the boos from the home fans.
“Are Inter playing at home, right? Okay, I’ll go watch it in case I want to be booed,” he said.
“I have affection both for Milan and Inter, obviously. We’ll see, I don’t think I’ll go to the stadium, I’ll probably watch it on TV.”
When asked to make a prediction, Balotelli replied: “It’ll be a 2-2 draw, for the show.”
La previsione di Balotelli sul derby… 👀#SerieAEnilive #InterMilan #DAZN pic.twitter.com/J6odMQX14Z
— DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) September 20, 2024
The 34-year-old also shared some of his fondest memories from his experiences with the two clubs, recalling his Milan debut against Udinese, which saw him bag a brace, and his relationship with then-Inter president Massimo Moratti.
“My debut in a Milan shirt was a nice emotion”, he said.
“It was a bit strange because I wasn’t even supposed to play, I should have started on the bench. But then, Pazzini picked up an injury in the warm-up, so I had to start”.
“To be fair, I was not ready to play as a starter. I was prepared to come on in the second half, but it was a nice debut.”
“I don’t think there’ll be another president like Moratti in the history of football,” he added.
“Basically, I owe him my career because when I joined Inter as a kid, it was him who believed in me.
“It was thanks to him that I started playing for the Primavera team and then for the first team. [Coach] Mancini also helped, but obviously, it was Moratti who made the decisions.
“He gave me a great responsibility because I was 17 and I became a first-team starter.
“I still remember when they told me during a training session: ‘You’ll play with the first team on Sunday’. ‘Don’t play with me’, I replied, but it was true.
“He gave me a dream, a career, but he also gave me a great responsibility.”
During the same interview, Balotelli said he had rejected offers from abroad this summer as he wanted to return to Serie A. The Italian striker played in Italy’s top flight for Inter, Milan and Brescia.