The Enigma of Mario

Occasionally in football, a player comes along who stands out from those around him. A player whose eccentricity and charismata earns admiration from fans of every football club across the country. A player who has an aura of mystique around them and is remembered long after he retires. Cantona embodied this, as did Gascoigne and of course George Best. But what made these players so special was that they displayed their charisma with a ball at their feet and used their imagination to dazzle on the football pitch.The potential for this sort of player arrived in the premiership in 2010 in the form of Mario Balotelli. There is not a single football fan in Britain who has not been captivated by what the young Italian has brought to the division both on and off the field. But while Best, Cantona and Gascoigne will be remembered foremost for their genius on the football field, Balotelli is in danger of being remembered for his roguery off it.

There is little doubting the abundance of talent Balotelli possesses. 17 goals in 31 appearances so far this season is some feat. And this is made even more impressive by the 3 red cards he has picked up, limiting his playing time further still. But there lies the problem. How can he expect to spearhead City’s assault for their first premiership title in 44 years from the sidelines?

The game against Arsenal personified what he’s all about. His biggest impact on the first half was a horrific challenge on Alexander Song that went unnoticed by Referee Martin Atkinson. His second half started the same as the most meaningful kicking he seemed to be doing was that of the turf in frustration. However in the 80^th minute he picked up the ball on halfway, slipped the ball nonchalantly through the legs of 2 Arsenal players before being hauled down by Aaron Ramsey. It was a moment that caused the crowd to gasp in awe of the talent this young man possess. But the gasps turned to jeers when in the 82^nd minute Balotelli was dismissed for a reckless and clumsy tackle. The decision Roberto Mancini now faces is whether the occasional spark of genius is worth the frequent moments of madness. From what Mancini said in his post match press conference, he’s already made that decision…

At £23million Mario Balotelli was undoubtedly a gamble by Mancini, particularly having worked with him at Internazionale he knew of the strikers’ questionable temperament. The Manchester City fans although often perplexed by his reckless tackling have taken him to their heart as a footballer who has flair, imagination and an eye for mischief. Rumours of him paying off entire university library fines, setting off fireworks in his bathroom and giving thousands of pounds to homeless people has led Mario to become a cult icon at Eastlands. However the strikers recent red card at Arsenal in what was billed as City’s biggest game of the season appears to have not only cost him a possible 3 match ban as the FA look into his first half challenge, but a place in Mancini’s team and in the fans heart. Once a player loses the respect of manager and fans, his exit is only a matter of time.

Greatness on the football pitch is the culmination of talent, consistency and imagination, and while Cantona, Gascoigne and Best were by no means role models, what each of them produced on the pitch was pure genius and therefore everything else was overlooked. Balotelli is undoubtedly an enigma and if he is to continue to create stories of mischief off the pitch he needs to start delivering performances on it.