Mario Balotelli used to be one of the most popular strikers on Earth a few years back – but not necessarily because of his work on the pitch. ‘Super Mario‘ never minced his words and often made big headlines with controversial statements .
Even though he had a successful stint atInter Milan, where he won Serie A and UEFA Champions League titles before he joined Manchester City, Balotelli created a famous rivalry with the Nerazurri shortly after he left the club and eventually signed for lifelong rivals AC Milan.
However, his career had a decline since then and now he’s playing for Turkish club Adana Demirspor at 31. But Balotelli believes that, in his prime, he was at the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mario Balotelli suggests he was just as good as Messi and Ronaldo
“I missed some chances to be at that level, but I am 100 per cent sure that my quality is the same level as these people, but I… I missed some chances, you know? It happens,” Balotelli told The Athletic.
“And nowadays, I cannot say I’m as good as Ronaldo, because Ronaldo won how many golden balls (Ballons d’Or)? Five? You cannot compare yourself to Messi and Ronaldo, nobody can. But if we’re talking about only quality, football quality, I have nothing to be jealous of them, to be honest.“
Balotelli regrets leaving Manchester City
Even though his statement is bold, to say the least, Balotelli did play at an impressive level during his time at Manchester City. That’s why he regrets leavingthe Sky Blues in 2013.
“I think that was my biggest mistake, to leave City,“ Balotelli said. “Even in the year when I left, I played very well in Milan for a year and a half, but after that, I had some problems. And now that I’m older, I know that I shouldn’t have left City at that time.“
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