Mario Balotelli is a famous Italian soccer player. Born in 1990 in Palermo, Sicily, Balotelli would go on to become one of the most famous soccer players in Italy during the early 2010s. He gained notoriety for his time with a range of high-profile clubs, from Liverpool to Inter-Milan. Today, Balotelli plays as a striker for the Turkish Süper Lig club, Adana Demirspor.
In addition to playing association clubs, Balotelli has also made significant contributions to the Italian national team. He represented his country in the UEFA Euro 2012, the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Aside from his skills on the pitch, Balotelli is known as one of the most eccentric athletes in the world for his antics off the field. Today, he’s remembered alongside the likes of talents like Dennis Rodman for his mix of talent and bizarreness.
This reputation helped earn Balotelli plenty of attention from the media. However, ongoing pressure and issues in his personal life caused problems for his performance on the field.
Mario Balotelli Biography
Mario Balotelli was born on August 12, 1990, to parents who immigrated from Ghana. He has three siblings, including Abigail, Enoch, and Angel. At the time of his birth, Balotelli’s last name was Barwuah. However, he decided to change it permanently in honor of his foster family.
Though born in Palermo, Balotelli moved to Concesio, Lombardy to live with a foster family. He eventually changed his last name to Balotelli in honor of his foster parents. Shortly after, he earned his Italian citizenship and went on to play for the Italian national team, for which he has always made appearances under the name Balotelli.
Balotelli began his professional career with the Italian Serie A club Inter Milan in 2007. Within his first few seasons, he established himself as a key goal scorer for the team and a starter. This helped him become one of TIME’s Most Influential People. Unfortunately, Balotelli faced ongoing abuse from other Serie A fans, which resulted in multiple fines against Juventus.
Ultimately, Balotelli was released for disciplinary problems, as he faced ongoing conflicts with management. From there, Balotelli went to the English Premier League team Manchester City, where he stayed for three years. Afterward, Balotelli returned to Italy to play for Milan, where he stayed two years before being traded to France’s Ligue Un team, Nice.
Balotelli spent the next three years in Nice, where he enjoyed one of his longest stretches of consistent play. With the club, he made 61 appearances and netted a total of 33 goals. He was traded to Marseille in 2019, where he stayed for only one season.
Unfortunately, disciplinary issues continued to follow Balotelli, along with a bizarre string of public appearances. Unlike Dennis Rodman, mentioned above, these incidents had a clear effect on Balotelli’s ability to perform on the field. Today, he’s most remembered for his raw talent in the offense and his odd behavior.
Who is Mario Balotelli dating?
Mario Balotelli is not reported to be dating at this time.
Mario Balotelli Girlfriend & Dating History
Mario Balotelli’s romantic life has been the subject of great interest from the public. Throughout his career, he was notably seen with a variety of famous women. These included TV personality Eliana Cartella, socialite Vanessa Lawrens, Wayne Rooney’s cousin Holly Henderson, beauty pageant contestant Sara Galimberti, Playboy model Carla Howe, and model Melissa Castagnoli.
Balotelli has been involved in two long-term relationships. The first was with model and Italian personality Rafaella Fico. The pair dated on and off for one year from 2011-12. The pair’s relationship was the subject of great scrutiny, which added stress. In 2012, Fico announced that she was pregnant.
Shortly after, Balotelli was involved with a model-actress who has both Italian and Belgian roots, Fanny Neguesha. The pair were seen publicly from 2013-14. Once again, Balotelli’s relationship didn’t last longer than a year. However, Neguesha was seen wearing an engagement ring at some point. The details of the engagement weren’t announced. Shortly after, the pair separated.