WATCH THE TELLI, DELE
Outcast Alli should tune into crazy Balo show for inspiration
IT’S not often a certain Mario Balotelli sets the example for other footballers to follow.
People tend to forget he had that pivotal role in setting up Sergio Aguero for the most iconic goal in Premier League history, when Manchester City won the title back in 2012. What people don’t struggle to remember, however, are the endless madcap moments the Italian produced during his time in English football. These include crashing his Audi R8 en route to training just days after joining City. When police asked him why there was £5,000 in cash in the glovebox, he replied: “Because I’m rich.” He threw a dart at a youth player, let off fireworks in his apartment on the eve of the Manchester derby, then scored the opener the following day before revealing a T-shirt which read: “Why Always Me?” He broke more curfews than George Best, got caught smoking in the showers, scrapped with his manager and team-mates, stamped on the head of Scott Parker during a game against Tottenham and saw more red cards than a dealer does at a casino.
He’s also posed with a shotgun, had a private audience with the Pope, provided several TV outburst, done selfies with pitch invaders and given United fans the middle finger. But one boss who thinks Balotelli is still worth a gamble at the age of 31 is Roberto Mancini, the same boss the striker once squared off with during a training session at City. Mancini, who broke English hearts by leading Italy to Euro 2020 glory, has rekindled his romance with his favourite bad boy by recalling him to the national squad more than three years after his last cap. The call-up is Balotelli’s reward for getting his head down, showing the right attitude and producing some impressive performances for Turkish outfit Adana Demirspor.
A lot of people in Italian football think Mancini is crazy to invite Balotelli back into the international fold.
But Balotelli is now living proof of what can be achieved with the right mindset – and an example to the likes of England outcasts Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Ross Barkley.
When Gareth Southgate led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, Alli and Lingard had huge roles in the success.
And before heading home, he spoke of the danger that some Three Lions stars could view the achievement as the pinnacle of their careers.
Alli and Lingard fell into that trap to such a degree that both of them are now unable to get game time with their respective clubs, let alone the international team. It will be a major surprise if any of the three are on the plane when England head to Qatar this winter.
Taking things for granted in football is foolish, but perhaps this is what Alli, Lingard and Barkley are all guilty of.
Yet if someone as controversial and high maintenance as Balotelli can somehow redeem himself, so can some of England’s misfits as well.