Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli could become one of the best players in the world if he worked harder in training, his manager Roberto Mancini said on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Italian faces a late fitness test on his injured back and may be unfit for City’s Champions League game against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
But while a doubt remains about his immediate fitness, his compatriot Mancini is in no doubt about his talent, although he does question his mental approach to the game. Talking to reporters at the club’s Carrington training ground outside Manchester, Mancini said: “He has everything to be one of the best players in the world.
“He could be like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi if he understands that to be like this you should work hard.” Mancini and Balotelli have been likened to having a father-and-son relationship with Balotelli’s unpredictable character causing problems on and off the field.
In April, when Balotelli was sent off in a defeat at Arsenal that looked like costing City their chance of winning the Premier League title, Mancini said he would definitely sell him.
But almost nine months later Balotelli is still there, if, at times, a peripheral figure in Mancini’s plans. Mancini said: “It is not easy to work with him every day because if you are a manager, you should manage 22 players. Mario outside the pitch is a fantastic guy. Sometimes he doesn’t understand how his job is important for his life but I hope he can understand this quickly.
“He is 22 but life can go quickly. He needs to understand that to be like Ronaldo and Messi he should work hard, his mind should be always on his job.’.
But while a doubt remains about his immediate fitness, his compatriot Mancini is in no doubt about his talent, although he does question his mental approach to the game. Talking to reporters at the club’s Carrington training ground outside Manchester, Mancini said: “He has everything to be one of the best players in the world.
“He could be like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi if he understands that to be like this you should work hard.” Mancini and Balotelli have been likened to having a father-and-son relationship with Balotelli’s unpredictable character causing problems on and off the field.
In April, when Balotelli was sent off in a defeat at Arsenal that looked like costing City their chance of winning the Premier League title, Mancini said he would definitely sell him.
But almost nine months later Balotelli is still there, if, at times, a peripheral figure in Mancini’s plans. Mancini said: “It is not easy to work with him every day because if you are a manager, you should manage 22 players. Mario outside the pitch is a fantastic guy. Sometimes he doesn’t understand how his job is important for his life but I hope he can understand this quickly.
“He is 22 but life can go quickly. He needs to understand that to be like Ronaldo and Messi he should work hard, his mind should be always on his job.’.