Mario Balotelli’s feelings about Liverpool still haven’t changed, and we’re sure Liverpool fans still feel the same about him.
In 2014, the club lost Luis Suarez to Barcelona and replaced him with the Italian forward towards the end of the transfer window. It was about as effective as the Beatles choosing to replace John Lennon with the rapper Pitbull. Balotelli ended up having one very underwhelming and uneventful season at Anfield. He scored just once in the Premier League and was sent on-loan to AC Milan in 2015, where he once again scored just a single league goal in a season.
Liverpool cut their losses last summer, allowing Balotelli to join French side Nice on a free-transfer. Since then, Balotelli has been back amongst the goals, and less than complimentary towards Liverpool.
“Joining Liverpool was the worst decision of my life,” Balotelli told French TV last year.
“Apart from the fantastic fans and some players with whom I have an excellent relationship, I did not like the club. I had two coaches at Liverpool, Rodgers and Klopp for a bit, I did not like their methods and their personality. I never really felt well there.”
Balotelli’s former coach Brendan Rodgers doesn’t exactly remember their time fondly either. When asked at an end of season awards ceremony in May to name the best player he coached, the Celtic manager joked, “Mario Balotelli. He was a fantastic player.”
Brendan Rodgers you are also the best manager I ever had😂😘😘. Amazing.
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) May 3, 2017
Balotelli didn’t mention Rodgers in a recent interview with French newspaper Nice Matin, but he had a few pops at Liverpool. When asked which of his former English clubs he prefers, Liverpool or Manchester City, the forward replied:
“Pfft, City, a stupid question.”
He then spoke about how he will never return to the club.
“I will never go back to Liverpool. The fans are wonderful, but the leadership team is a real disaster,” Balotelli said in the interview, which has been translated by Sport Witness.
“I was living in a difficult situation in Liverpool, in a city I didn’t like. I needed change after two failed seasons between Liverpool and AC Milan. And coming to OGC Nice, which, with all due respect, is not Real Madrid, was a risk if I failed again. But here, I found the right environment to succeed.”
It’s unclear if Balotelli is referring to manager Jurgen Klopp and his staff when he mentions the “leadership team”, or executives at the club. Either way, he doesn’t have to worry about playing for Liverpool again.
