Mario Balotelli is set to make his Ligue 1 debut for OGC Nice, so Ludovic Giuly, Sebastien Frey and Sebastien Perez trust he’ll deliver.
The Italy international has rather lost his way in recent years, struggling during his time at Liverpool and his loan spell at Milan.
This evening he begins a new adventure in France with Nice against Olympique Marseille and veterans of the game are feeling confident.
“We know he’s a great player and has remarkable quality,” Giuly told RMC Sport.
Mario Balotelli is set to make his Ligue 1 debut for OGC Nice, so Ludovic Giuly, Sebastien Frey and Sebastien Perez trust he’ll deliver.
The Italy international has rather lost his way in recent years, struggling during his time at Liverpool and his loan spell at Milan.
This evening he begins a new adventure in France with Nice against Olympique Marseille and veterans of the game are feeling confident.
“We know he’s a great player and has remarkable quality,” Giuly told RMC Sport.
“Talent is not enough, as you need a strong character and that counts more than talent in the sport. It’s good for Nice to have a player like this. I hope he can have the same season as Hatem Ben Arfa did last year.”
Former Monaco man Eric Cubilier has a similar view and thinks Balo can follow in the footsteps of fellow ‘bad boy’ Ben Arfa.
“He was a great player, it’s just that over the last two years he hasn’t really played at all. He is still young, only 26, so I hope he can relaunch his image the way Ben Arfa did.
“President Rivere invested in Balotelli and it’s a gamble, but one I do believe in.”
Ex-Olympique Marseille player Perez warns “it’ll take time to acclimatise, but it remains to be seen if he’ll return to 100 per cent of his capabilities.”
One French player who knows Balotelli well is former Inter, Fiorentina and Parma goalkeeper Frey.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic left a hole in Ligue 1 and Balotelli can fill it. He is a player with huge potential, but in football it takes more than just physical and technical quality. You need the right mentality.
“There is a question mark over Balotelli and we are all curious to see what happens. Is he going to have the motivation to make a difference and help Nice? I hope so, because he’s a quality player who can really push Nice forward.”