‘The problem is because of his age, he can make some mistakes. He’s Mario. He’s crazy – but I love him because he’s a good guy.’
Roberto Mancini, October 2011
MARIO’s second season at City would see him aiming to help the club win their first top-flight league title since 1968 – but would also see him continually still questioned over his attitude and temperament. Luckily for the Italian, the man who mattered most in his career in England continued to stand by him and defend him, even when it seemed the whole world of football might be against him.
Yes, Mario was undoubtedly fortunate to have Roberto Mancini remain in his corner, fighting for him and defending him. The City manager’s opinion was succinctly summed up by his quote at the start of this chapter: he still believed that Mario could be one of the world’s footballing greats, but he also understood that he was really still a boy. That he was having to mature and grew up in public and, given the enormity of the press focus on him, he deserved to be cut a little slack if and when he made a mistake.
Mario was raring to go when the 2011/12 campaign got underway with the traditional season curtain-raiser, the Community Shield, which is played at Wembley. City were contesting the shield in its current form for the first time – and their bow in the event could not have been tastier or more guaranteed to persuade them to take it seriously. Yes, their rivals at the national stadium would be Manchester United. City were there as FA Cup winners; United as Premier League winners…the latter being the title that all City fans most craved and one that the club under Mancini would be particularly concentrating their efforts in the campaign that was to follow.
Mario lasted just under an hour of the match before he was replaced by Gareth Barry and City would lose 3-2 after leading 2-0 at half time. Mario, like many of the players on display, looked a tad rusty and it was clear he would need to bed into the season and pick up his fitness. City had gone ahead through Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko. But a goal from Chris Smalling and a brace from Nani turned the tide. ‘Maybe they played better than us,’ Mancini said afterwards. ‘But the right result after 90 minutes would probably have been 2-2. I am disappointed with the result, but it was the first game of the season, and anything can happen because all of the team are not in good form. We are disappointed but it is important we understand why we made the mistakes.’
City captain Vincent Kompany also felt that too much should not be read into the result – and that it did not mean United would retain the title. He told talkSPORT, ‘It would have been nice to win it, obviously, but the fact that we didn’t win it is not going to change anything about how we work towards the Swansea game [the following Monday]. If anything it’s good that we have another 90 minutes in our legs. It wasn’t our best performance today but next week is going to be the big one. We’ve got a lot of potential so come the league, come the Champions League, come the FA Cup we’ll be ready for it, there’s no doubt about it.’
Mario was disappointed about losing to United, but he saw the defeat in the same light as Kompany; the result itself was not important, at least he had some time on the field under his belt as he tried to reach match fitness for the new season. But the Italian was disappointed when he now failed to get any playing time in City’s next three games. He had worked hard for the Wembley curtain-raiser but then found himself on the bench as City won their first three Premier League fixtures in August 2011 (beating Swansea 4-0 at home, Bolton 3-2 away and Tottenham 5-1 away).
OK, the team had begun the campaign at a blistering pace and Sergio Aguero was quickly proving his worth upfront after his £35million move to City from Atletico Madrid in the summer. But Mario was itching to get out there and show the City fans that he was worth a place in the starting line-up, too.
His chance to shine finally came in City’s home game in the league with Wigan on September 10. He came off the bench with 18 minutes to go and it would prove difficult to shine given that the man he replaced had already hit a hat-trick! Yes, Aguero was setting a scorching pace and fully justifying his status as the club’s No 1 striker. For now, Mario would have to be patient: he would have to knuckle down and earn his place in the team and, hopefully, keep out of trouble away from the football field!
His chance did come – and he hit the ground running, just as Aguero had. On September 21, Aguero was given a night off (watching from the subs’ bench) as City welcomed Birmingham for a Carling Cup 3rd Round match. City strolled to a 2-0 win with Owen Hargreaves and Mario earning the plaudits with a goal apiece and the Mail best summed up their efforts, ‘Happily there was a rather sunnier tale to tell as Owen Hargreaves – he of much talent and little luck – returned to competitive football with a goal. He and Mario Balotelli put Birmingham to the sword, but on this occasion the Italy striker was never going to be the centre of discussion…Balotelli and Carlos Tevez both played 90 minutes. The former acquitted himself the better. The goal he scored was a good one and he also came close in the second half, curling a lovely shot towards goal from 20 yards only to see it land on the top of the net. Mancini has been pleased with Balotelli’s attitude so far this season. There have been signs of maturity.’
Three days later Mario was back on the bench as Mancini paired Edin Dzeko with Aguero for the Premier League visit of Everton. Mario would replace the big Bosnian on the hour – and mark his appearance with another goal, his second in two games as City beat the Merseysiders 2-0. And this time he was the big hero as he broke the deadlock – and Everton’s dogged resistance – with a goal just eight minutes after he appeared on the field of play. He was set up by Aguero and finished clinically before then heading to the touchline to embrace his manager! A late goal by James Milner clinched the win for City.
Afterwards Mancini appeared a mite embarrassed when asked how he felt about being embraced by his young countryman. He tried to explain it in this way, ‘Sometimes when he scores, Mario is unhappy. Today, he was happy because he knew it was an important goal. His behaviour can be so-so, we know this. But Mario didn’t play for four games and he has worked well and didn’t say anything. He waited for this moment. He likes Manchester City, he likes English football and he can improve with the team.’
The Sun also praised Mario and pointed out that he would be missed in City’s Champions League clash at Bayern Munich a couple of days later, ‘His team-mates may think he’s nuts – but they also know Mario Balotelli is a cracker. And how they could do with him tomorrow against a Bayern Munich side which have not conceded a goal in nine games this season. But the Italian bad-boy, 21, is suspended and will have to sit out the Champions League clash at the Allianz Arena. That is a shame given the way Balotelli broke the resolve of stubborn Everton eight minutes after coming off the bench. The frustration was beginning to boil over as the Toffees parked the bus in front of their goal for the first three-quarters of the game. But Super Mario breathed new life into them and finally cracked the case for a slightly off-colour Manchester City.’
Fellow scorer Milner told how Mario was loved in the City dressing room – and that they did accept he was ‘a bit nutty’, ‘That is pretty accurate. He is a top-quality player though. You have seen those characters around the dressing room. You forget how young he is and he has done a lot in the game already. You can see his quality every time he comes on. He only needed half a chance and he took it. It wasn’t an easy finish. He is a massive part of this squad as well. He is a goalscorer. ‘He came off the bench and did what you want a substitute to do… make an impact.’
Milner also denied that Balotelli had been moody as he awaited his chance to make a mark at the start of the new season: ‘I don’t think anyone is happy when they are not in the team. But he hasn’t shown it. He trains hard every day. He goes about his business like everyone else does. You try to get in the side and when you get a chance, try to take it. He has not stepped out of line or shown his disappointment in any way.’
Mario was on a roll now: he kept Dzeko out of the side for the next Premier League match, the away match at Blackburn, and scored again as City romped to a 4-0 triumph at Ewood Park. It was just the tonic the club as a whole needed after the demoralising loss at Bayern in the Champions League and the controversy over Carlos Tevez’s ‘refusal to play’ that surrounded it. Mario scored City’s second goal at Ewood after latching on to a pass from Samir Nasri and ramming the ball home. It was Mario’s third goal in as many games – and he would make it four in four by hitting the back of the net in City’s 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa two weeks later.
Significantly, it also signalled the real intent of the club to go all out for the title – after neighbours United had drawn at Liverpool, City now hit the summit of the Premier League. After eight games, City had 22 points – two more than United.
Mario had scored the goal of the match against Villa – a brilliant overhead kick to put his side 1-0 ahead.
It was now all set up nicely for the crunch derby match against United the following week at Old Trafford. This would be the match that would catapult Mario Balotelli into legendary status with City fans as he grabbed a brace in the unforgettable 6-1 thrashing of their biggest rivals. Before the match Mario said he was pleased with his current run of form while pointing out that he had always expected to do well at City – but that he had been held back in his first season because of injury, ‘I knew already and Mancini knew how I used to play. Last year I couldn’t because of my injury. I couldn’t play at the top. But the real Mario is coming now and it isn’t the same Mario as last year. Even last year I think I did good because I didn’t play for a long time. But this year it’s going to be better, I hope. It has to be better. With the injury I wasn’t sure about myself or my body. Like with tackles, I didn’t do them because I wasn’t sure about myself. This year I feel freer.’
He also admitted that he now felt more settled in Manchester and at City, ‘This is down to me because it’s me that changed my life. Well, I didn’t change my life, but things like I don’t live in town anymore. I’m outside now so it’s quieter. I try to stay at home more. Maybe I’ll stay in now with my family, my brother or girlfriend. They weren’t here last year, they came sometimes but they were not based here. That’s definitely helped. It’s quieter now but also I am growing up. If last year I missed home so much, maybe now I miss it a little bit less. I’m OK now, I’m good. I’m happy – the only problem in England is the weather. Everything is getting better.’
And how did he feel about being top of the league with City? He said, ‘I was at Inter for four years and I was top of the table. Last year in the Premier League we were second. That was the first time in my life I was second. For me it’s normal to be top of the table. That’s where I want to be. But we will only stay there if we keep doing the things we are, keep playing like we are.’
The match against United is covered in more detail elsewhere in this book. But it was certainly a turning point for Balotelli at City. The Telegraph superbly captured the joy of the blue half of Manchester, saying, ‘By the end of the Demolition Derby, Manchester City fans were convulsed with joy, revelling in the sight of the majestic David Silva putting the champions to the sword, serenading Sir Alex Ferguson with “getting sacked in the morning” and designing their “Six and the City” T-shirts. Incredible.’ And it was a match Mario said he would ‘never forget’; that it would always be in his memory and that he was ‘so pleased’ for the people who mattered most to him, the brilliant City fans who had backed him through thick and thin since his arrival in Manchester. ‘He saw this as a slice of payback to the City fans whom he adores,’ I was told. ‘Contrary to what many people think – and to the public image the press like to push – he is a man who has a very caring, loyal side to his nature, and who takes criticism deeply. He is much shyer and considerate than his critics make out and he was genuinely thrilled to be part of such a history-making defeat of United – and for the absolute joy he knew it would bring to City fans to thrash United in that way.’
Under the headline, ‘Balotelli provides the fireworks as Mancini’s side humiliate 10-man hosts to go five points clear’, Goal.com also poured scorn on United while lauding City’s development, ‘Manchester City made a statement that they are no longer just the noisy neighbours but serious title contenders, as a Mario Balotelli double sent his side on the way to a stunning 6-1 win over derby rivals Manchester United.’
And boss Mancini was just as lavish in his praise of Balotelli as the media had been. After the destruction of the Red Devils, Roberto said, ‘If we want to talk about Mario the football player we can put him in the first five players in the world. I don’t know what happened [over the fireworks incident the previous night at Mario’s rented house] apart from he lives in a hotel now. I hope for him and for football that Mario can change his mind. After this, he can become one of the best players in the world like Messi and Ronaldo.
‘The problem is because of his age he can make some mistakes. He’s Mario.’
Roberto also urged caution to those who were now saying the title was as good as on its way to City. He added, ‘I’m satisfied because we beat United away. I don’t think there are many teams who can win here. The 6-1 is important for the supporters but I’m just happy for the three points. I think we played very well against Bolton and Tottenham but this is different because we were against a strong team like United. I watched three or four United games from the last month and they conceded a lot of chances to their opponents. I think the season will be very long. There are four or five teams who can win the title. There are 29 games until the end. It’s an important win for our confidence and because we showed we are a strong team.’
Mario had now scored six goals in five matches. He was on fire and was showing just why Mancini had such faith in his ability. He was also managing to curb his temper on the field (for the moment at least) – in those five games he had only been booked on one occasion.
More glory and acclaim was on the way – at the start of November 2011, he made his Champions League debut for City and unsurprisingly (given the form he was in) he scored at the end of the first half from the penalty spot after he himself was fouled as the blues went on to crush Spanish outfit Villareal 3-0 away.
It seemed he could do no wrong and Mancini, his team-mates and the fans were all delighted with him. The win moved City into second spot in the tournament’s Group A and now they had a real chance to make the next stage along with Bayern Munich, and ahead of Napoli.
A win in Napoli in their next match would see City home and Mancini was brimming with optimism – although he acknowledged they still had a major job to do if they were to win in Italy. He said, ‘If we make the knockout stages then anything can happen because we’re a good team. We are going very well and want to improve if possible. I enjoyed this performance.
‘Villarreal were missing four or five key players but it’s still difficult to win away. We had 65 per cent possession and scored three good goals, which is good for confidence. The team have improved in this competition since the first group match. It’s always difficult to play in Naples, although we want to win. There will be 70,000 in the stadium, so it will be tough conditions.’
The Sport360.com boys best summed up the night enjoyed by Mario in Villarreal, saying, ‘No matter what anyone else does, it’s hard to keep Mario Balotelli out of the headlines. Following his heroics in the derby win at Manchester United, the flamboyant frontman marked his Champions League debut for Manchester City with a controversial strike that smoothed their way to success at Villarreal and took them second in Group A.
‘Yaya Toure had put Roberto Mancini’s men ahead in the 30th minute – the first of his two goals – before Balotelli dealt the Spaniards a decisive blow with a penalty in first-half injury time. He cleverly nutmegged Jose Catala and went down in a sandwich between Gonzalo Rodriguez and Mateo Musacchio with the latter’s shove a factor in the spot-kick award.
‘Villarreal fumed over a decision they felt was soft but referee Pedro Proenca was unmoved and Balotelli unaffected by suggestions he took a dive. The Italian – back after suspension – waited for keeper Diego Lopez to go to his right and then confidently, almost arrogantly, stroked the ball into the opposite corner.’
After the Villarreal match, Mario spoke to the Press, saying he ‘was not mad, but entertaining’. Clearly enjoying his purple spell and basking in the positive publicity, he said, ‘I’m not mad as some people say, although sometimes I’m entertaining. I’m ready to take on responsibility, even if people think I’m not. English football is beautiful, wonderful and enjoyable. English football has taught me pressing and chasing back after the opponents when I lose the ball. I don’t miss the Italian championship, the standard is very low, while English football is beautiful, wonderful and enjoyable.
His confidence would continue to bring him another goal and more acclaim during the next three weeks as City beat QPR 3-2 away and Newcastle 3-1 at home. Mario scored in the win over the Toon army – and a vital win it was as City emphasised that they were deadly serious about rivalling Man United for the league title. The Toon had arrived in Manchester with their own credentials to be taken as a force in the game; they were on an unbeaten run of 14 league games, breaking a 61-year-old record to achieve that. But City smashed them to bits, at the same time setting down their own marker for a place in the record books. The win meant they had made their own best-ever start to a Premier League campaign and that they had notched up their highest goals scored total for 48 years! Mario scored from the penalty spot and clearly enjoyed his goal and the acclaim from his loyal fans.
He also lapped up the praise of his boss. Mancini purred, It brought lavish praise from boss Mancini, who said later: ‘Mario’s penalties are fabulous. It’s impossible he misses one! I am helping Mario not to waste his talent and become the player he can be – but it is down to him. Today was a really difficult match because Newcastle are a strong team and after the international break it is always difficult. We scored three goals and had other chances but at some moments today we had luck.’
Even Toon boss Alan Pardew admitted that Mario had been a ‘handful’ to cope with for his suffering centre-halves and added, ‘It could have been a different afternoon but it didn’t go for us today. We had two good chances at 0-0 and against a team as powerful at City you need a break and we didn’t get one. I have no complaints about the penalties but we were doing okay until the first went in.
‘The ideas some of the City players present you with and the flair they have makes it difficult for defenders. They are the best team we have played by some distance.’
But just as Balotelli now appeared to be settling down and delivering consistently for City, he went and blew it. As City fan Keith Cooper said, ‘Consistency? The only thing consistent about Mario is his inconsistency! He had been on a great run of form and goals for us but then lost it in the next match at Anfield. But the warning signs were there in those previous games – he had been booked in four of the six games before he was sent off at Liverpool.’
That is true. In the game directly prior to the away fixture at Liverpool, Mario had made his first return to his native Italy in a City shirt at Napoli. He handled the inevitable abuse and catcalls from the Napoli supporters and even scored a leveller for City. Indeed the Sun commended his behaviour in the face of the antagonism, ‘The controversial striker was always going to face a barrage of abuse from the Napoli fans. But he took it all in his stride. He strutted about in his accustomed manner and probably revelled in his role as the pantomime villain – obviously, his reputation went before him. Home fans had the former Inter Milan star marked down as a goalscorer to fear, and he duly obliged with his 33rd-minute equaliser.’
But Mario was frustrated and disappointed with the 2-1 loss at the end of the night – emotions that helped him earn a yellow card. It was his dream to win the Champions League with City – as he had with Inter Milan – and the prospect of playing in the Europa League hardly filled him with joy. But now City were on the brink and would eventually exit the tournament for the dreaded Europa League.
With such a depressing prospect and the jeers of the Napoli crowd still ringing in his ears, Mario headed for the next match, the league clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday November 27, 2011, in what could be termed ‘hardly the best frame of mind’.
Given that situation, Mancini sensibly decided he would start on the bench and brought him on just after the hour with the score at 1-1. He thought Mario had the pace and invention to change the game…well, he was certainly right about Balotelli changing the game, but it was for the worse! Just 18 minutes after his introduction, he was heading for an early bath after two yellows, the first for a foul on Glen Johnson, the second for an elbow on Martin Skrtel. It was his third red since joining City – the others coming against West Brom and Dinamo Kiev – and meant City had to hang on to secure the point that left them five ahead of United at the top of the table.
On his 47th birthday, Mancini was still keen to defend Mario, saying the Liverpool players had helped get him sent off, ‘For me the second one was not a yellow card. I don’t think that the referee wanted to give a yellow card but the Liverpool players said something. I think the referee gave a free-kick but didn’t want to give a yellow until all the Liverpool players complained.
‘I watched the replay and, for me, it [the elbow] is nothing. This situation in the Premier League – there are a lot of yellow cards in every game. I don’t think all the fouls are yellow cards. Mario should pay attention because he knows many players provoke him and this is not correct.
‘We showed strong character because it is very difficult to play here against Liverpool and also because we tried to win, we played well and only in the last 10 minutes we conceded three or four chances but Joe Hart saved well. We conceded two or three chances when we were down to 10 men but we had a good result.’
But then Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was critical of Mario, saying, ‘I think Balotelli got himself sent off. His actions spoke louder than anybody else’s didn’t they? Sometimes, if you look in the mirror, you get the answer. Sometimes he doesn’t help himself, other times he doesn’t get as much leeway as anyone else gets. But, if you help yourself, you don’t get in that situation in the first place.’
Mario’s red card meant he would sit out the Carling Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal, but that he would be available for the Premier League clash with Norwich.
Mancini chose to have him on the bench for the visit of the Canaries – and warned him in advance that he needed to be cleverer to avoid further dismissals. The boss said, ‘Mario should pay attention and he should be clever. I can do nothing - only he is on the pitch. He should pay attention and think only about football. I think he made a mistake only for the first foul when he took the first yellow card. Then he should not take any risks.’ Roberto had been particularly disappointed as Mario was on such a hot run of form. He had scored nine times so far that season and was finally living up to his expensive price tag and the potential Mancini continually insisted he had and would eventually realise. Mancini added, ‘He is more mature, this is clear. But, in my opinion, if Mario was on the pitch in the last 20 minutes, we could have won the game. It is important Mario understands we need him as a player on the pitch.’
Balotelli was banished to the bench on his return from his ban, but once again showed why Mancini had such belief in him as he came on and scored against Norwich as City stormed to a 5-1 win. This was the match where Mario famously and nonchalantly scored City’s fourth goal with his right shoulder, much to the delight of the City fans. American sports writer Eric Freeman brilliantly encapsulated the wonder of the goal and its execution, ‘Balotelli took a pass from [Adam] Johnson at the goalmouth, was stonewalled by very British-named Norwich keeper John Ruddy, sought out the rebound right near the goal line, and bumped it in with his right shoulder. It was a cute, arguably insulting way to score, because a more prudent player would have played it in off his head (as if a game that arbitrarily doesn’t allow participants to touch the ball with their arms and hands should have a hierarchy of morally upright body parts). The British press and various blogs have responded with the usual round of Balotellian adjectives, adverbs, and phrases: “impishly,” “nonchalantly,” “outrageous,” “again manages to cause a stir,” “attention-grabbing,” etc.’
Some pundits suggested the goal may have been ‘disrespectful’ to Norwich, but most football fans – and not just Man City fans – disagreed. One fan said, ‘He had the choice between heading it in and doing what he did. He shouldered it in nonchalantly with supreme arrogance and I found it very entertaining. If he’d done that against my team, I think I would have had a minor chuckle (after having a go at him).
‘Who cares if it was disrespectful! Fans wind players up and every now and again it’s funny to see them show some character and have a go back, in the right way. It was very entertaining and it’s only got me loving Balotelli more!’
While a City fan added, ‘He gave his answer at Owe Trafford – WHY ALWAYS ME. He is great fun, young and bringing some laughter into the sport after all this racism that is floating around at the moment. It’s not as if he was yards away from the goal line, do you think it’s disrespectful if a player scores with other legal parts of their body, like using your bum to score? PS I call it Owe Trafford [not Old Trafford] because of the debt [owed] by good family Glazers.’
City coach David Platt couldn’t help but smile as he was asked about the goal. Platt said, ‘It was a terrific move. But it doesn’t matter how you put it in, or whether it’s from 12 inches out, it is the same result as a 35-yarder.’
Even then Norwich boss Paul Lambert saluted Mario’s confidence, saying, ‘Yes, he was very cool and City are a top, top side, their movement was brilliant, they are first class. If you go and play them at their game they will pick you off all over the place. Not many teams will come here and take them on. We kept going, we didn’t fold. Our group has a great willingness to try and do well.’
As Christmas 2011 loomed, City were strong favourites to carry on their fine form and romp to their first top-flight league title since 1968. Mario would score his final goal for City in 2011 on Monday December 12, in the 2-1 loss at Chelsea. It was City’s first defeat of the season in the Premier League and came after Frank Lampard’s goal from the penalty spot. It was not a match they deserved to lose – but it was a warning that they could not afford to take their foot off the pedal if they wanted to take the league title off United in the new year.
They were already out of the Champions League and heading for the Europa League – much to Balotelli’s disappointment – and the last thing they wanted to do now was blow up on the domestic front. Mario scored a lovely goal against Chelsea, rounding Petr Cech and slamming the ball home. Mancini said it was the least he could have done – after the boy broke a club 48-hour curfew by visiting a curry house ahead of the match! Football pundit Jamie Redknapp agreed that was probably the case, saying, ‘Mario Balotelli is a lucky boy. His manager, Roberto Mancini, clearly rates him and is prepared to overlook some of his antics. It must help they are both Italian and Mancini shows understanding of the emotions of his countryman.
‘Before the Manchester derby, fireworks were let off in Balotelli’s house and the fire brigade were called. The manager still picked him and he delivered two goals in a 6-1 win. This time, he broke a curfew – and scored after two minutes. A lot of managers would have left him out, but Mancini must say: “You owe me.” And Balotelli repays his debts.’
As 2011 turned into 2012 Roberto and all City fans were praying he would continue to repay his debts, and lead them to that elusive promised land of the league title. As always with Mario, it would be a rollercoaster ride. Before we move on to that second half of the 2011/12 campaign, let’s examine the conclusion that a number of pundits and fans came to in 2011 – that Mario’s actions both on and off the field somewhat mirrored those of another footballing idol who made his name in Manchester a couple of decades earlier.