A thread on Twitter has reminded us of Mario Balotelli's craziest moments as a footballer, and it's safe to say he's never been far away from the headlines over the course of his career.
Balotelli, 32, has seen an awful lot over his career and, despite playing for some of Europe's best sides, he currently finds himself at FC Sion with his best days behind him.
Ultimately, the star will be lauded for his controversial moments, but some will be disappointed that the Italian didn't fulfil his vast potential.
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Alongside the off-pitch antics, he could have been a real top player and it's sad we never saw him have the career that he threatened to have.
However, reading through the Twitter thread of his antics over the course of his career has reminded us of one simple truth - he's one crazy man.
Going against Jose's wishes
One of the more hilarious stories was revealed by Jose Mourinho from their time together at Inter Milan, with the Portuguese manager branding the striker 'unmanageable' following said incident.
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For a crunch European tie, Balotelli was Inter's only fit striker and had picked up a first half booking.
Mourinho apparently spent "14 minutes of the 15 speaking only to Mario", begging him to avoid a red, before he went out and got sent off within a minute of the second half beginning - classic Mario.
Pre-season antics
Another example of vintage Balotelli came in a pre-season game against La Galaxy, when he played under Roberto Mancini (the first of two high-profile incidents with the Italian manager) when he decided, whilst being one-on-one with the goalkeeper, that instead of finishing it he would go for a backheel finish that dribbled embarrassingly wide.
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Mancini screamed from the bench and immediately dragged him off and the pair traded words as Balotelli stormed off.
Fireworks display
Having arrived in England, he quickly made his mark on and off the pitch, but the sequence of events surrounding his altercation with fireworks was one of the more hilarious stories we've ever heard.
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Balotelli caused £400,000's worth of damage to his Cheshire mansion by setting off fireworks within the house, causing it to set on fire in some parts - all of this was hours before City's iconic 6-1 win over United.
He then scored two goals, including the opener, and then proceeded to lift up his shirt to reveal the iconic message 'Why always me?' stitched across his thermal top.
All of us culminated in the forward being made the face of a Fire Safety campaign, in a brilliantly ironic moment.
Fist fights with Mario
This one is a two-parter, as there have been multiple examples of the player trading punches with teammates and managers throughout his career.
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He was guilty of pushing people's buttons but none more so than former manager Mancini, as the pair got into a training ground fight in 2013.
Mancini dismissed him from training following a late challenge on Scott Sinclair, but Balotelli refused to go and both of them came together in a physical altercation.
Another example in recent years is from his time in Turkey at Adana Demirspor, where he lost his head after being subbed off.
He then produced an incredibly angry reaction that saw him punch a teammate who was sat next to him as he let his frustrations out - best not to engage him in that state.
Always on the wind-up...
We had to mention an iconic moment that made for one of the coolest photos we've seen on a football pitch.
Following City's tight FA Cup semi-final win over United at Wembley, he decided to wind-up Rio Ferdinand and a group of other players.
He reportedly thrusted the badge on his shirt in the direction of opposition supporters and it led to an all-out scuffle at the end, but an iconic photo shows Balotelli being grabbed by Anderson and Ferdinand, but the look on his face is the look of a man who lives for those moments.
They don't make them like Mario anymore...
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Mario Balotelli, Football
