Mario Balotelli Barwuah is an Italian striker who plays as a striker for Swiss Super League club Sion. He performed for the Italian Ligue 1 club Nice as well as for the Italian international soccer team. You can describe Mario’s career as ‘up and down’. He has faced plenty of highs over the years. Nonetheless, many believe that he has not lived up to his full potential. His career, on the other hand, has stains of disciplinary issues and bad conduct. These have clearly affected his ability to succeed as a decent footballer.
If you would like to know more about the Italian striker, stay tuned and scroll over. We shall shed light on his life on and off the field in this article.
Birth and Family
Mario’s birth took place on August 12, 1990, in Palermo, Sicily. His original parents were expats from Ghana – Rose and Thomas Barwuah. While his father was African, his mother was from Sicily. Mario had three siblings as well – Abigail, Enoch, and Angel.
Mario’s family moved to Lombardy when he was just two years of age. They were poor, and hence, couldn’t bear to raise four kids. As a result, Mario’s parents decided to place him in foster care.
Silvia and Francesco Balotelli, who lived in the Italian town of Brescia, adopted Mario. The family also had two teenage sons and a young daughter. Although Mario met his actual parents every weekend for the first few years, he soon stopped doing so. Eventually, he embraced Silvia and Francesco as his parents. The rich Balotelli family promised Mario a very lavish life.
Mario’s real parents had chosen foster care due to life-threatening health issues that had harmed Mario as a child. As known later, they couldn’t afford Mario’s costly treatment. When Mario’s parents were in urgent need of help and support, the Balotelli family came forth. The infant had to undergo many surgeries as a result. Though he had pulled through by the age of three, his parents left him with the well off Balotellis.
Later, the foster parents found out the Barwuah family’s address and took Mario to meet his relatives. Nevertheless, none opened the door. Mario had the option of going back to his own parents when he grew up. However, he refused, claiming that he hated the fact that they had given him up as a child.
Early Life
Mario began playing football at a young age in spite of his health problems. He joined the AC Lumezzane youth club in 2001. Further, Mario rose through the ranks of pro football and stayed with them until 2006. At 15, he earned a promotion to the senior team of the club. This was after he played very well for various youth teams of the club.
He made his debut for the club against Padova in a Serie C1 match in April 2006. By that time, he had grown into a highly competitive player. In fact, he was attempting to play with stronger clubs. This pursuit led him to a tryout with Barcelona, which somehow didn’t succeed. Finally, Inter Milan signed him on a loan basis in 2006.
Career
Since he was an expat, Mario was not considered for the Italian Under-15 and Under-17 teams. He made his global Under-21 debut for his country in September 2008, scoring against Greece. Additionally, he represented his senior team in the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
2007
Mario had totally joined hands with Inter Milan by June 2007. He scored two goals in a friendly match against The Club. Well, this was also one of his first appearances for the team. In a match for his team in the Serie-A, he scored two goals against Reggina. Following his superb act against Juve in the Italian Annual Cup quarter final match, Mario rose to fame.
2008-2009
Further, Mario’s club won the Italian Football Super Cup in 2008 and the Serie-A in 2007-2008. He became the youngest player to score in the UCL at the age of 18 in late 2008.
Once, some audience members racially abused Mario during a game against Juve in April 2009. Following, both the clubs strongly protested against the racist chanting. After Inter Milan won the Serie-A for the fourth time in a row, the Juve fans were suspended for a match.
Mario had to face disciplinary action after failing to show up for his practice sessions. Henceforth, the head coach of his club was furious with him. Furthermore, Mario received no rest from the plenty of racist comments thrown at him during most of his matches. Even while Mario was not on the pitch, haters abused him.
2010
He constantly kept getting into trouble due to his on-field antics. He appeared on an Italian TV show in 2010 wearing a T-shirt from Inter Milan’s rival club, AC Milan. Mario tossed his jersey on the ground after a game in April 2010. This was in reply to haters who kept booing him for his poor acts. After the game, the crowd got heated and tried laying their hands on him. Mario was later sorry for the incident, claiming it was the only thing he had ever done that he rued.
Man City officially signed Mario in August 2010. He scored a goal in his debut Europa League match to assist his club win. In October, he made his EPL debut against Arsenal at their home field, losing 3-0. His great act soon made him popular among Man City fans. Further, at the end of the year, he received the Golden Boy award for his brilliant skills.
2011-2012
Mario’s violent approach on the field caused him a lot of trouble, despite his worthy efforts on many key occasions. When the 2011-2012 season was over, his team managers opted to let him leave. However, Mario played in a few more games for Man City, including the title deciding match against Queen Park Rangers. For the first time since 1968, Man City won the EPL, all thanks to Mario.
2013-2015
AC Milan declared the signing of Mario in early 2013. In his 43 appearances for the team, Mario scored 26 goals in all. After his time with Milan ended, though, his performance level sank. He signed with Liverpool in the EPL for the 2014-2015 season. However, he just appeared 16 times for them and scored only one goal.
2016-2017
Further, OGC Nice signed Mario in 2016, after taking him from his last club. Mario did quite well, although his conduct issues that did not go away. Subsequently, in his 43 games with the squad, he scored 29 goals. Thus, his contract was extended for another year in June 2017.
During the 2018 season, the striker’s name surfaced many times. Mario did not finish his career in the national team. Moreover, he received no call-up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying games. Consequently, Mario’s absence harmed the result. Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
Parma, Marseille, Juve, and CSKA Moscow expressed interest in the player in the summer of 2018. There is a chance of his transfer to Napoli in the future. Mario’s agent was reportedly in talks with the club’s management, as per sources.
2020-21
Mario is a member of Brescia, a Seria-B team, as of 2020. He also represents Italy at the global level. His football career has taken him from Italy to England, where he spent time with Man City. He has also played for many French clubs.
On 7 December 2020, Balotelli moved to Serie B side Monza on a seven-month contract, reuniting with former Milan teammate Kevin-Prince Boateng, head coach Cristian Brocchi, club owner Silvio Berlusconi, and chairman Adriano Galliani.
Balotelli made his debut on 30 December, starting in a 3–0 win over league leaders Salernitana and scoring on his first touch in the 4th minute.
On 1 May 2021, after being on the sidelines for almost a month, Balotelli scored a brace against Salernitana. He came on in the 80th minute and scored on his first touch of the game after less than one minute, and doubled his tally in the first minute of added time.
On 7 July 2021, Balotelli joined newly-promoted Turkish Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor. He scored 18 goals in the 2021–22 Süper Lig season, five of which were on the final matchday, in a 7–0 win over Göztepe.
2022
On 31 August 2022, Balotelli signed a two-year contract for Swiss Super League club Sion.
Mario Balotelli & His Awards and Achievements
Here is a list of Mario’s awards:
- 2008 – Serie-A 2007/08 (Inter), Italian Football Super Cup
- 2009 – Serie-A 2008/09 (Inter)
- 2010 – Serie-A 2009/10 (Inter), Italian Football Annual Cup, UCL
- 2011 – FA Cup (Man City)
- 2012 – EPL 2011/12 (Man City), FA Community Shield (Man City), UEC runner-up (Italian national team)
Mario Balotelli & His Style of Playing
Mario is a classic striker and goal scorer with height, speed, and ability. He plays as a number 9. He is also a penalty kick expert, who has scored 38 goals out of 42 attempts.
Mario has shown a lot of abilities, but he has also been slammed for his conduct on the field. Many coaches have objected to him being irregular. His uncertain nature, on the other hand, is undoubtedly his most irritating trait.
Mario Balotelli & His Net Worth
The footballer has a grand net worth of 33 million euros. As per reports, he earns a yearly salary of 5 million euros. His major source of income is via his football career. Besides, he makes money through brand deals as well. Puma and Hyper Venom are two of those most famous brands.
Mario Balotelli On Social Media
Well, Mario Balotelli has verified social media accounts. He often posts photos of games and training sessions. He also shares pictures of social gatherings and meetings with friends.
Mario Balotelli & Various Controversies
Mario Balotelli is a pretty controversial figure. In a crowded plaza in Milan in 2010, he and a few friends had shot air pistols. Further, the media caught him hanging around with two mafia family members later that year.
A few days after arriving in Manchester to play for his new club, Mario crashed his car. He was found carrying 5,000 pounds in cash. When asked the reason, Mario simply said because he was oofy.
Mario once set his house on fire as a result of a disaster. However, he ironically became the Greater Manchester Firework Safety Ambassador after that.
Mario Balotelli & His Personal Life
Currently, Mario Balotelli is unmarried and leads a life of singlehood. Nevertheless, he is a father to two children – a son and a daughter. Let us have a quick sneak-peek inside his personal life.
Mario Balotelli and Raffaella Fico
Mario Balotelli’s most notable affair was his romance with the Italian model and singer – Raffaella Fico. The duo evidently was very much in love. However, things between them met a sudden bitter end. They dated each other from the summer of 2011 to the spring of 2012.
Mario Balotelli & Her Daughter
In July 2012, Fico announced about being pregnant with Mario’s child. Nonetheless, Mario replied by declaring he would only assume parental responsibilities if a paternity test came back positive. On December 5, 2012, Fico gave birth to a daughter, named Pia.
Further, in December 2012, Fico blamed Mario for being careless and showing no interest in their newborn daughter. In reaction, Mario made threats to sue her to defend his name from what he thought of as baseless charges. Following a positive DNA test in February 2014, Mario finally owned up the paternity of his daughter Pia.
Mario Balotelli and Fanny Neguesha
In 2013, Mario began dating the Belgian model, Fanny Neguesha. Rumors were afloat that they had exchanged rings. However, Fanny called off their engagement in September 2014. She claimed the major reason was Mario’s jealousy.
Mario Balotelli & His Son
Mario had a second kid with an unknown woman on September 28, 2017. They named their son Lion.
Mario Balotelli & Most Searched Facts
It’s time to take a quick look at the most common FAQs on the web about the football star.
Mario Balotelli Real Name
Mario’s name at birth was Mario Barwuah. Though, after adoption, his name became Mario Balotelli Barwuah.
Mario Balotelli Age
The footballer is currently 32 years of age.
Mario Balotelli Birthday
His birthday falls on August 12 every year.
Mario Balotelli Star Sign
Leo is his star sign.
Mario Balotelli Religion
Mario was raised by Jews after being born to Christian parents. His current opinion about religion is not known though.
Mario Balotelli Parents
- Father – Thomas Barwuah
- Mother – Rose Barwuah
Mario Balotelli Wife
Nonetheless, he has not married anyone in his life yet. Fico and Fanny, on the other hand, were his short-term lovers.
Mario Balotelli Hair
- Colour – Black
- Type – Curly
- Style – Afro
Mario Balotelli Eye
Colour – Brown
Mario Balotelli Height
He is 189 cm tall.
Mario Balotelli Weight
He weighs 88 kg.
Mario Balotelli & His Body Measurements
- Biceps – 42
- Feet Size – 11
- Waist Size – 112
- Bust Size – 140
- Butt Size – 125
Mario Balotelli’s Smoking
Yes, Mario is a chain smoker.
