Mario Balotelli could shift tumultuous career to the K League, report claims
Published: 30 Jan. 2025, 14:54
Updated: 30 Jan. 2025, 16:41
-
- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![Genoa forward Mario Balotelli looks on before the Serie A match against Parma at Ennio Tardini Stadium in Parma, Italy on Nov. 4, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/30/16e30b17-e31a-4aff-8b9b-eb5774dc3c3e.jpg)
Genoa forward Mario Balotelli looks on before the Serie A match against Parma at Ennio Tardini Stadium in Parma, Italy on Nov. 4, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]
The K League 1 could see another big name join Jesse Lingard this year, with European media reporting that two K League 1 clubs are interested in signing Genoa’s volatile forward Mario Balotelli.
Foot Mercato reported on Tuesday that two K League 1 teams are eyeing Balotelli, who has spent much of the 2024-25 Serie A season on the bench.
The French outlet did not reveal the names of the two clubs, but if a deal materializes, Balotelli would follow Lingard to the K League, adding to the list of former Premier League players in Korea. Lingard, who joined FC Seoul last year, brought extensive Premier League experience from clubs like Manchester United, West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
At 34, Balotelli has had a transfer-filled career since making his debut at Italian club Lumezzane in 2006, playing in Italy, England, Switzerland, Turkey and France. He joined Manchester City in 2010, where he contributed to the club's Premier League title in the 2011-12 season.
The Italian striker is also famous for his “Why always me?” celebration during his time at Man City, revealing the message on his undershirt as a response to media scrutiny over his personal life and on-pitch antics.
![Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli lifts his shirt to reveal an imprinted message during the Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in England Oct. 23, 2011. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/30/0dad72af-c44b-408e-b3ce-a63f570e958e.jpg)
Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli lifts his shirt to reveal an imprinted message during the Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in England Oct. 23, 2011. [JOONGANG ILBO]
His career has been marred by incidents, such as receiving a red card in a 2009 Champions League match for Inter Milan, despite being sternly advised by then-manager José Mourinho to avoid any on-pitch clashes. Mourinho's description of the situation, where Inter had no other attackers to replace Balotelli, has previously gone viral.
In 2011, he was fined 100,000 pounds ($104,200) for throwing darts at Manchester City youth team players from a first-floor window, explaining it by saying he was “bored.” That same year, he was forced to leave his house on the eve of the Manchester derby after a fire broke out, caused by fireworks set off by him and his friends in the bathroom.
While Balotelli has been a controversial figure, he was a key player for Italy in the early 2010s, scoring three goals in Euro 2012, including a double that helped eliminate Germany in the semifinals.
Since the mid-2010s, Balotelli has not been a regular pick for the Italian national team, with his last appearance coming in a UEFA Nations League match against Poland on Sept. 7, 2018.
If Balotelli moves to the K League, it will be his first time playing outside Europe. The K League has seen several players return home or play out the final years of their careers after stints in top European leagues, including foreign players with experience in those leagues.
Before Lingard, Kiki Musampa played for FC Seoul in 2008 after his time at Atlético Madrid and Manchester City. Luc Castaignos also competed for Gyeongnam FC from 2019 to 2020 after playing for Inter Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Balotelli could join a K League club at the end of the 2024-25 Serie A season in May, which will be the middle of the 2025 K League 1 campaign, set to kick off on Feb. 15.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)