Once upon a time, Nicolo Zaniolo was one of the promising emerging young Italians but recent events at Roma have seen his stock fall dramatically, drawing comparisons with Mario Balotelli, Apollo Heyes details.

The 23-year-old Italian forward has been excluded from Jose Mourinho’s project in the Italian capital after trying to force through a move away in the January transfer window, hoping to join the interested Milan.

The situation has infuriated Roma, who have been disappointed with the player’s on-pitch work and behaviour in contract renewal talks in recent months, a situation that saw large parts of the fanbase boo him in the Coppa Italia win over Genoa.

It’s clear to see why Zaniolo has not drawn much positivity this season. On a surface level, the 23-year-old has failed the eye test in recent months, looking poor and uninspired on the pitch, leading to frustration and a drop in confidence.

The underlying numbers also signal the Roma forward’s recent regression; in Serie A this season, he’s only averaged 2.73 shot-creating actions per 90, far lower than the 3.92 produced last campaign. He’s also played less progressive passes, 1.11 per 90 compared to 2.05 in 2021-22, and less progressive dribbles, 6.16 per 90 compared to 7.72 last campaign.

Whilst his regression could be explained by his two cruciate ligament ruptures, suffered in January and September 2020, it’s clear that his immaturity has also played a factor, something that has now seen him dropped from Mourinho’s Roma project entirely.

It’s not hard to draw comparisons with former Inter and Manchester City striker Balotelli, even if the 32-year-old posses far more talent than his younger counterpart. When emerging in the Lombardy capital from 2007 to 2010, the Italian striker was one of the most exciting young players in Europe, clearly having that little spark of magic in his feet.

One thing that also became clear about Balotelli was his frustrating mentality; he clashed with Mourinho several times during the 2008-09 season and this tension continued in the following campaign, leading to his exclusion from the second leg of Inter’s Champions League Round of 16 clash with Chelsea.

His immaturity and disciplinary issues came to light again after he angrily threw his Inter shirt on the ground after being booed by fans for his poor performance in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals with Barcelona, something he later admitted he regretted.

Balotelli’s off-pitch controversies during his three-year spell with Manchester City are the stuff of legends now, with incidents like his decision to set fireworks off in his bathroom or when he threw darts at youth team players from a first-floor window becoming somewhat folklore to the Sky Blues supporters.

Despite his colourful character, Balotelli was an electric player on his day and performances like the one for Italy in the Euro 2012 semi-finals against Germany, when he scored a decisive brace, were signs of the levels he could’ve reached had he simply focused on football.

Whilst Zaniolo never reached the heights of Balotelli, his recent behaviour could see him follow in the footsteps of the 32-year-old, who has played for eight different teams and struggled to show his best since joining Liverpool in 2014.

The 23-year-old Roma forward is not expected to feature heavily under Mourinho in the coming months and will likely leave the Italian capital in the summer. He’ll be hoping for a move to Milan to try and relaunch his career, but who can say what the future holds now for Zaniolo?

4 thought on “Is Zaniolo Italy’s new Balotelli?”
  1. Balotelli was surrounded by top players at inter and Man City, and yet still couldn’t be a professional.

  2. All zaniolo has done is ask for a transfer. It is Roma who have turned the issue into a circus. Even karsdorp wanted out.

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