“Balotelli in the national team is this a closed chapter? YesI think so”. Word of Roberto Mancini. But while the Italy coach definitively closes the door to the Sion striker, some background emerges on their fluctuating relationship at the time of Manchester City. Citizens he said that once in the “locker room they almost came to blows” and “Mancini threw a bag at him and the fight broke out“.
The expulsion in the match against Dynamo Kiev
The incident took place during a Manchester City – Dynamo Kiev in the Europa Leaguedated March 17, 2011. On that occasion Mario Balotelli was sent off after a few moments of play for a kick in the chest by Ukrainian Goran Popov, i Citizens they won 1-0 (goal by Kolarov) but failed to overturn the 2-0 in the first leg and were eliminated. “I am very sorry for my teammates for being sent off so early in such an important match,” said “Balo”.
“She threw a bag at him”
Now the backstory of Les Chapman during the podcast Ninety Three Twenty. “We were playing against Dynamo Kiev e Balotelli was sent off after twenty seconds. Back in the locker room, he had remained seated in front of his locker in silence. Shortly after he had arrived Mancini who had started swearing at him in Italian, waving his arms as if possessed. He was about to return to the field to follow the game when he stumbled upon Costel Pantilimon’s bag. He had picked it up, had turned and he had thrown it at Balotelli, who had ducked abruptly letting the object bounce off the locker”. Then “Mancini had gone against him again, shouting in Italian and I thought: ‘Mario will hit him’. I got in the way to prevent a fight from starting but at that moment Mancini had turned around and returned to following the match”. Mancini said to journalists: “I don’t know if it was a red or a yellow card, but when you play a game like this you should pay attention. I think Mario can be a fantastic player. But when he does something stupid like that, it becomes difficult for me“.
The T-shirt “Why always me?“
Mario had fantastic skills but he will never be a player for the team, in fact I think the assist to Aguero (for the 3-2 win at Qpr, the last day of the Premier League, decisive goal for the title, ed) was the unique…”. Chapman also recounted the genesis of the T-shirt ‘Why always me?‘ which Balotelli showed during the 6-1 win against Manchester United (in 2012), in which the attacker scored twice: “On the eve Mario told me that he wanted to prepare a shirt for the derby, I said to him: ‘Fine but nothing offensive towards United fans or anything like that’. He made me a couple of offers, which I rejected and then he said: “And why always me? (why always me, ed)’. At that moment I understood that that was the right sentence. The problem is that instead of simply lifting his uniform to show everyone his shirt, he raised it over his head and received a yellow card. At that point Mancini told us: ‘enough, don’t print that shirt anymore”.