While Balotelli was clearly frustrated with many untruths that was written about his private life in the media, the young Italian should have been flattered. There was no defamation, or libel scribbled down on the back pages - it was simply happy-go-lucky fables of what the Italian got up to in his spare time, whether it was donating £1,000 to a homeless man or driving into a woman's prison because he 'wanted to look around'. Mario Balotelli was fast gaining a reputation as one of the most marketable players in the Premier League - people just wanted to read about the Italian maverick. He had been in the country for a little over 14 months when Manchester City took on their bitter cross-city rivals in a pivotal crunch clash at Old Trafford. The 6-1 demolition of the Red Devils certainly grabbed the headlines that day, but the accompanying image was certainly a stoic Italian footballer with a jersey pulled above his head, displaying an undershirt with a message emblazoned 'Why Always Me?'. The question had been laid down to the press - clearly Mario seemed to be the only one who couldn't understand the fuss. The celebration showed his mental strength, however. Most 21 year olds would wilt under the pressure of so many cameras, journalists and column inches surrounding their personal lives. Balotelli's reply? A confident two-goal salvo at Old Trafford, helping his side to their biggest win over their bitter rivals in decades. While there may have been no malice behind the scribbles of the British journalists, the gauntlet had been laid down - if Mario was going to be run out of the country, it wasn't going to be at the hands of the press.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
