5. The Future
Mario Balotelli was 22 in August. 22! He has played 16 times for Italy, scoring five goals, made over 160 professional club appearances, scoring 58 goals, won three Serie A titles, the Premier League, the FA Cup, Coppa Italia and the Champions League. He won the 2010 Golden Boy award and was man of the match in the 2011 FA Cup final. And despite all those honours and accolades, so much more could have been achieved if it were not for his immaturity. Having navigated three of Balotellis troublesome years, why call it quits now? If Balotelli could grow up, particularly in footballing terms, all that hardship will have been worth it. City could have a world beater for the next ten years (although that is highly optimistic even in a best case scenario). Mancini has come as close as anyway to finding a way of handling Balotelli, and Mancini can reflect on his own playing career to see how temperamental young pups can be, and how they can mature and settle. There are few players of his age who have the ability Balotelli does. Time will tell whether he realises his full potential but having committed so much time and effort and support for the player it would seem crazy to give up on him now. Mancini would be cutting off his nose to spite his face, and ruining all the fun for the rest of us. What do you think? Should Mancini Sell Balotelli? Share your thoughts below.