Mario Balotelli has admitted that it “hurts” to watch Italy in action, with the enigmatic striker having found himself frozen out of the international fold since May 2018.
A recall is on the cards some four years after his last outing for the Azzurri, with Roberto Mancini selecting him for a January camp that was intended to keep a talented squad in shape and coming together before the critical 2022 World Cup play-off mini-bracket in late March.
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A meeting with North Macedonia is first up, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal likely to come after that, with Balotelli raring to go after being forced to miss out on a successful Euro 2020 campaign that he found difficult to take in from afar.
What did Balotelli say?
Balotelli told Italian publication Le lene about his time on the periphery of the Italy squad, “I didn't follow Italy much during the Euros, it hurts to watch their games without me.
💥 ICYMI: Super Mario's show against Besiktas 🔥😅#Balotelli #SuperLig pic.twitter.com/DRA5vCUkAB
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) February 15, 2022
“This team won the Euros without me, so they fully deserved it. If I been fit to play the Euros, maybe we would have won even more easily.”
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However, Balotelli is worried about being labeled a scapegoat if the team falls short in the playoff. He wants to be an addition to the team, not a fall guy.
"What happens if I go back to the national team and Italy does not qualify for the World Cup?" Balotelli wondered. "I don't want to be the scapegoat. I want to go back to blue because people are happy that I can help."
What does he make of Mancini?
Balotelli is never far from the thoughts of current Italy coach Mancini despite his antics that have led to as many headlines being made off the field as on it.
Mancini has worked with the 31-year-old frontman at Inter, Manchester City and with the Italian national side and remains a big fan of his mercurial talent.
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Balotelli admits that he is fortunate to still have that trust and has vowed not to break it again if given another opportunity to impress at the highest level. “I love Roberto Mancini too much and he doesn’t deserve anything similar to what happened in the past," Balotelli said of his past mistakes.
“We talk sometimes, he keeps telling me to work hard trying to improve in some aspects.”
The bigger picture
Balotelli, who admits to not being in contact with any senior players inside the Italy camp because "I don't have their numbers," has worked his way back into international contention after rediscovering a spark in Turkey.
He has hit 11 goals through 23 appearances in all competitions this season for Turkish side Adana Demirspor, with difficult times at Marseille, Brescia and Monza being put behind him.
His goalscoring ability, which previously earned him 36 caps for Italy with 14 international goals, is on full display once more. Mancini, therefore, is seemingly prepared to wipe the slate clean as he looks to find a regular source of goals en route to Qatar 2022.
He would compete with the likes of Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne for time up front. Immobile seems the leader at the moment, with 19 goals in 21 Serie A appearances this season for Lazio, while Insigne is struggling through an injury-plagued season.
