Mario Balotelli Hit Back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic After He Slammed His Football Career

Mario Balotelli's potential has been a topic of discussion, particularly in light of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's recent criticisms. Punters might consider betting against Balotelli's former teams in upcoming matches, as the stark contrast in their performances highlights potential inconsistencies in his influence on the pitch.

Mario Balotelli has had a decent career. The Italian forward made his professional debut in 2006 with Lumezzane and has gone on to play for the likes of Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool. He also represented his country on 36 occasions, scoring 14 times. But, despite the success he has enjoyed, there is an argument that he hasn't hit the heights expected of him.

At the start of his career, 'Super Mario' was an incredible talent. He was expected to become one of the very best players in world football after winning the Golden Boy Award in 2010. However, various problems both on and off the pitch meant he failed to fulfill his lofty potential.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Slammed Mario Balotelli's Football Career

The duo were teammates at Inter Milan. Zlatan Ibrahimovic shares the opinion that Balotelli could have achieved so much more in the sport. The two players were both at Inter Milan during the 2008/09 season, but that hasn't stopped the Swede hitting out at his former teammate. Speaking about Balotelli in 2023, Zlatan said, per Gazzetta Dello Sport: "When a kid has the chance to exploit his talent and misses opportunities it's a shame. Balotelli had many, and he missed them all. This is the truth."

Zlatan went on to say that current AC Milan forward and one of the most promising players in world football Rafael Leao is 'not like Mario'. He added: "You can't compare [Rafael] Leao to Balotelli. That shot from the wrong heel [against Newcastle] is brilliant stuff. If he scores like that, he's a genius. And that makes you understand why Leao is there and Balotelli instead is in the stands."

Mario Balotelli Hit Back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan scored over 550 goals during his football career and won almost everything there was to win. But, despite playing for many European powerhouses including Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, he was unable to win the Champions League. Balotelli, unlike Zlatan, managed to win Europe's premier cup competition. He was part of Jose Mourinho's Inter side that won the Champions League in 2009.

So, after Zlatan's comments, he posted a photo of him holding the famous trophy and tagged his former teammate. Balotelli wasn't done there. On Gazetta dello Sport's Instagram page, Balotelli left a comment where he hit out at Zlatan for 'being scared' in Inter's Champions League defeat to Manchester United in the last 16 of the 2008/09 season. He wrote: "In Manchester you were scared and I wanted to win (on the pitch). The year after we won the Champions League anyway, but Zlatan, I still love you."

While he clearly wasn't happy about Zlatan's statement that he 'wasted his career', Balotelli agreed with the Swede's comments comparing himself and Leao. He tagged Leao and wrote: "phenomenon is right about this."

Mario Balotelli did not hold back after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's said he 'wasted his career'.

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