Liverpool FC misfit Mario Balotelli returned to the Reds this summer when his AC Milan loan spell ended. Balotelli’s performances were less than inspiring at Milan (just one goal in 20 competitions), and this followed up his dismal season with LFC.
The Italian bad boy scored just one Premier League goal during his one awful season with Liverpool. However, today brings news that he finally has an escape route after all.
#BenvenutoMario pic.twitter.com/gxwatH7xDm
— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) August 31, 2016
Nice President Jean-Pierre Rivere announced the arrival of Mario Balotelli.
“We are very happy to welcome Mario,” Rivere told the club’s website. “We hope that at Nice, in a family atmosphere, he’ll rediscover his enjoyment of the game.”
“We know, him and us, that nothing will be easy but with desire and, I hope, the support of all our fans, we’ll enable him to blossom and to bring all his talent to the service of the team.
“We’re still a club under construction. Our progression is being carried out step by step. We [hope] to have a good season with our squad in all the different competitions that we will have to contend with.”
#LFC can confirm Mario Balotelli has joined French club @ogcnice on a permanent deal: https://t.co/b8qGdjQtNX pic.twitter.com/8hUHP5u7wz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2016
Balo’s agent is Mino Raiola, who also represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Raiola is poised to dethrone Jorge Mendes for the title of reigning super agent. Maybe he already has. Raiola, who lives in Monaco, not far from Nice, made the right move for Balotelli, who was also linked with potential moves to Sampdoria, Palermo ,Crotone and Sassuolo,
Despite his horrendous form these past couple years, Balo is definitely not short on confidence. Earlier this summer he made some very boastful remarks.
“I will win the Ballon d’Or,” Mario Balotelli told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera via the Liverpool Echo early last month.
“I know, the Ballon d’Or might seem laughable and I might not have done everything to be the best, but the important thing is I realized it’s not too late.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
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