A Quick Word on "Bibotelli"

Following Manchester City's disappointing Europa League exit at the hands of Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night, all the talk was of their £20 million summer signing, the Italian striker Mario Balotelli. Indeed, the boy got himself sent off for - and I could easily use expletives to emphasise what transpired -  a reckless and frankly idiotic chest-high foot on a Kiev player, causing his manager Roberto Mancini to voice his anger and doubt his place in the team for the weekend game against Chelsea. But it was not the only talking point from last night surrounding the undoubtedly talented, but at times volatile (and possibly mentally unstable) player. As ESPN's coverage focused on Balotelli during the warm up the presenting team had to watch and 'discuss' for over a minute the absurd sight of the Italian attempting to put on a training bib without success (see picture). Of course, this is not justification for any knee-jerk reactions along the lines of "modern footballers get paid thousands of pounds a week but are thick as two planks". Balotelli is not helping suppress any such opinions, however. This, combined with his exceptionally poor attitude - a reason for his well publicised spat with former manager Jose Mourinho - suggest he would not look out of place in a young offenders institute with a criminal record, no real education or any qualifications, had he not been fortunate enough to possess real footballing potential. This is a rather extreme view, but after City's European demise, Mario 'Bibotelli', as pundit Robbie Savage so eloquently commented, should at the very least reassess the manner in which he approaches his profession. Apologising today to his team mates for his dismissal is a good start.