Roberto Mancini coached Mario Balotelli at Manchester City
Roberto Mancini has, this week, expressed his sadness to see his former striker, Mario Balotelli, without a club and seemingly unwanted after being released by Brescia.
Now aged 30, Balotelli was once hailed as one of the brightest and most exciting talents in European football, but finds himself as a free agent and temporarily out of football.
Mancini, now manager of the Italian national team, was the man responsible for handing Balotelli his Serie A debut with Inter Milan at the age of just 17, and was filled with sadness at the current state of his once starlet.
“I am very sorry to see him in this condition,” Mancini said this week during a sports industry event.
“At the age of 30 he should be in full technical football maturity and would have been very useful to the national team.
“I love him and I hope something good always happens to him,” he said.
After leaving Mancini and City, Balotelli returned to Italy where he had a mixed spell with AC Milan, before securing an ill-fated move to Liverpool which produced only a goal in 16 appearances.
In 2016, Balotelli was hoped to reignite his career in French football, though he produced an underwhelming tenure at Nice before failing to impress at Marseille.
Upon returning to his boyhood club, Brescia, Balotelli penned a £1.3million deal with an inbuilt clause that his contract would continue to be renewed providing the club avoided relegation.
After Brescia slipped into Serie B at the end of last season, Balotelli’s contract was not automatically renewed and the striker remained a free agent ever since.
In total Balotelli turned out 16 times for Brescia, scoring five goals and providing three assists.