The overrated Mario

Since I first heard of the man named Mario Balotelli four years ago, he has since then been described by an endless list of names. Eccentric, egoistic, talented, uncontrollable, enigma, lethargic, wonderkid, etc. In the little cubicle of my mind however, the best word to describe the Liverpool forward has always been overrated.

I started watching Balotelli around the time when the golden boy award of 2011 was being contested. I had an argument with a friend about exactly how good Mario is. I believe that no good footballer is ever completely average at everything.

There has to be one thing that serves as your “selling point”. It is the problem I’ve always had with Manchester United’s (Aston Villa’s) Tom Cleverely. Balotelli doesn’t have a single special positive attribute that he’s exceptional at. He’s not that good a dribbler, not is he a lethal finisher, nor is he the most accurate shooter from range.

He isn’t exceptional at passing, or tackling, his strength wouldn’t move mountains; neither will he run around all day. He’s just Balotelli. He’s like the Paris Hilton of football. The only thing he might be exceptional at is at penalty taking, which in all honesty, isn’t an attribute anyone looks at when selecting footballers.

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I think the reason I find the man really frustrating is that he has all the raw ingredients to be an elite striker. Big, tall, relatively quick, powerful, but that’s really where it ends. On and off the field, he has the decision-making capability of a seven-year-old brat.

I watched the Liverpool VS Everton game earlier this season, and I felt sorry for Liverpool fans. Mario came across as someone who felt he was playing for a team that was beneath him. I lost count of the number of meaningless, pot shots he took from outside the 18-yard box in that game.

Henderson and Gerrard were slaving away time and time again to win the ball in midfield, only for Balotelli to receive the ball, shoot it into the crowd and walk away like it was a Sunday morning back of the garden game with nothing to lose.

Watch any Liverpool game next time you have the chance. Watch the runs Mario makes, and then compare it to the runs made by the likes of Van Persie, Kun Aguero, Suarez or Costa. That he is regularly being compared to the crème of the premier league always makes me sad.

Balotelli has never scored 20 league goals in his career despite playing for some of the most established clubs in Europe, and being their regular penalty taker. In fact, take away Mario’s goals from 12 yards, and what you have left isn’t better than Andy Caroll.

Balotelli can’t be bothered to make runs into the box, nor is he concerned with closing down defenders. Balotelli does whatever the little boy in Balotelli’s head tells him to do.

There is a reason why Balotelli has never been the main man at any major club (apologies to AC Milan). It isn’t because he is relatively young. It’s because he just doesn’t have enough to lead the line for a big club. At the highest levels of the game, application probably counts for more than talent does.

He was second fiddle to Aguero and Tevez at City; same goes for Inter where he was behind Milito and Eto’o. He only led Milan’s line last year because Milan were too broke to afford who could do a better job. That he is Italy’s first choice striker is testament to how far the standard of Italian football has dropped.

In the end, people will forever be attracted to glitz; it’s a footballing truth that you appreciate a screamer from 40 yards over a well placed shot from 8 yards. But another truth of life is that when you shoot at the frequency with which Balotelli shoots, you’re bound to score every now and again.

Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. But look at the really successful strikers; most of their goals come from in/around the box, not from 50 yards away. Which will you rather have? A Kun Aguero that buries three in three shots against Bayern or a Balotelli who will waste 100 shots then come up with a peach of a goal like that goal against Germany at the Euros?

I truly believe Mario is in the last chance saloon. If he bombs at Liverpool, which he is almost certain to do, then I think the world will finally catch up to the fact that he’s just a massively overrated player.

The media hounding isn’t the reason why Balotelli isn’t performing. He isn’t performing because you can’t give what you don’t have. If you’re going to ask the queen of England for a kiss on twitter, wear “Why always me?” tee shirts, do like the Incredible Hulk when you score and throw darts at academy players, then you really have no reason to complain about the media.

Mancini declared Mario uncoachable. So has Mourinho. So has Prandelli. The money Brendan Rodgers spent in the summer was always going to be examined through a microscope, and the big picture of the floundering Balotelli will be used to nail him to the cross. Replacing Suarez with Balotelli is in the end going to be the equivalent of swapping caviar with bad sausages.

Obisesan Adedamola