Mario Balotelli dreams of a return to the Italy squad for the World Cup play-offs in March and admits he has spoken to Roberto Mancini lately: ‘I’d return from Turkey by foot.’
The Azzurri failed to win their World Cup qualification group and, therefore, they are forced to go through the play-offs to qualify for Qatar 2022.
Earlier this week, Mario Balotelli’s brother Enock said the former Inter and Milan striker would be ‘ideal’ for Roberto Mancini’s Italy and Balotelli has now confirmed he dreams of a return to the Azzurri squad.
“I feel good after the last two and a half years. I feel ready to return to the national team. It would be a dream. I’d be leaving Turkey by foot now if I knew I got a call-up in March,” he told OCW Sport.
“I have a very good relationship with Mancini and I have always had it. He just needs to tell me what he wants from me so that I can return to the national team. And I will. If I’ve heard it lately? Yes.”
“What he wants from me he has already said several times,” Balotelli continued. “I do not have to promise anything to myself. He knows if I’m okay, why shouldn’t he call me?
“For my characteristics, I could play with everybody. Even with Ciro [Immobile]. Would I take penalty kicks? I won’t reply because that would create controversy, but everybody knows I can take spot-kicks. Every footballer dreams of being the striker of his national team.”
So why hasn’t Mancini called him yet?
“He didn’t because he knows my potential and I’m not at that level yet,” Balotelli explained.
“Now, I have until March to get to the top of the condition. I’m not here to complain about not being called. I’m not far from my best condition, I just have to work.”
Balotelli joined Adana Demirspor over the summer and has scored five goals in 13 games across all competitions in Turkey.
The 31-year-old played his last game with the Azzurri in 2018 in a 1-1 draw against Poland in the Nations League.
“I refused offers from Italy, before moving to Turkey,” the striker revealed.
“Even if Italy won the Euros, everybody starts to throw mud after the first problem. That’s something I’ve never liked about Italy.
“I am happy many people are writing to me, asking to return to the national team. But the problem is: how can you mess everything up after the first problem? There are too many ignorant in Italy.
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If he stopped being so lazy he cud.be wat Italy need on is day he’s a match winner
Balotelli is a bit like Ibrahimovic , but with much less talent and even more attitude. If he was brought back to the Italy side, it would be a terrible condemnation of the current young strikers.
Such an amazing player when his head’s in it. I remember when we (Milan) first signed him from City, the space he was creating for himself was insane. Then, the same old problems.
When he was younger I thought it was entirely the medias fault but now he’s out of the public eye (more so) those same issues keep on reappearing. Good luck, Balo, here’s to an Indian summer.
At least he has the ability to admit it’s his own fault and he’s not in any shape to step up at the moment. I wouldn’t rule it out completely, like winning the lottery, but the chances of this happening now at this stage of his wasted career is slim at best. He’s not a viable option….he’s a maybe, possibly if so and so conditions are met.
Once again this is for those of you that will see it before it is removed eventually:
Fuck off Balotelli and grow up as well.
And about “messing up after the first problem”, this boy very well knows it was not the first problem, but after 6 or 7 that he himself created.
If he cannot see it himself even into his 30’s, then he never will.
Good riddance and hope he shuts up for good.
If I lived 120 years I still would never understand why anyone cares a fig about Balotelli. Has never done anything in his career, barely scores goals. And people complain about Immobile. Who has a European Golden Boot? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
“I am happy many people are writing to me, asking to return to the national team. But the problem is: how can you mess everything up after the first problem? There are too many ignorant in Italy.”
He’s the ignorant one. Italy have had a problem converting their chances for quite some time now. This isn’ “the first problem”. We had that spell where we beat the Czech Rep in a friendly 4-0, Turkey 3-0, and Switzerland 3-0, but before and after those games we have been very wasteful, and in recent games we have only got worse.
It’s not only the impotence that’s a problem. It’s also Mancini sticking rigidly to 433 and remaining loyal to those who are not doing the business and ignoring those who are. Insigne only has one good game in every five. Emerson does little very little down the left. Di Lorenzo makes too many errors. Acerbi, again, makes too many mistakes. Then there is Bernardsechi; versatile yes, but what good does he do when he’s playing against mid to high level teams? If Mancini adhered to his own words of meritocracy, then surely Politano, Calabria, Dimarco, Destro, Ogbonna (I know he’s injured now but he’s has been excellent for West Ham for 18 months), would be in or very close to the team.
As for Balotelli, he’s never going to change. He’ll just be that lazy, static player who shows up when he wants to. He’s had more than enough chances throughout his career and has never shown any signs of maturing. His time has passed.
After watching our under-21’s the other day, Mancini should be looking there instead.
It is a must-do now for our beloved Italia, to be at Qatar 2022. The problem is obvious to all and that is, goal scoring!
I doubt if Super Mario’s character has changed for the better; and if indeed, it hasn’t, then he should stay out of the team. We need even a greater unity and sense of purpose to qualify. Otherwise, he should be called up.
Moise Kean should be given a thought as well. That frontline needs one who would take the ball into the opponents 18-yard box and become a monster to stop. I personally do not see the relevance of Belotti in the team, and his current run in there has been a “minus one”! The Raspadori I saw recently in the Azzurri shirt was a phenomenon! Why leave him on the bench in such crucial matches.
It’s a pity that I see things differently from my base, and the Azzurri Managers – not just Mancini – don’t see what I see. How could Arrigo not play Zola and R. Baggio in the USA’94 final from the start or at some point, taking off Nicola Berti who played as if he was colour blind when we were clear on goal during a sweet counter against the Brazilians? At France’98, what would have happened negatively if Cesare Maldini had played both Del Piero and R. Baggio together? It took a while for Mancio to realize that Federico Chiesa should be in the starting eleven of his current team; why?
Why do England, Germany, France, and Spain qualify easily for World Cups, but we seem to almost always struggle?
I wish our Azzurris well and hope to see the lads at the Mundial next year.
Forza Azzurri…Viva Italia!!!