In an interview with ‘Athletic’, Mario Balotelli stated that he has the ability to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Balotelli was undeniably gifted, but his attitude on and off the field was questioned, and he never reached his full potential.
He also had a successful career with Inter Milan, winning three Serie A titles, as well as the Premier League and FA Cup with Man City. He also had a successful career with AC Milan.
The 31-year-old had a difficult time at Liverpool and has struggled to stay with a club for more than a season in recent years. He is currently with Adana Demirspor in Turkey’s Super Lig.
And the Italian attacker feels he has the potential to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as modern greats, winning at least one Ballon d’Or.
In an interview with Nedum Onuoha for The Athletic, Balotelli stated that he was just as good as the two superstars during a talk at the club’s training facility.
He remarked of that conversation, “I missed several opportunities to be at that level.” However, I am certain that my quality is on par with them, but I know I squandered several opportunities. It happens all the time.
And currently, I can’t say I’m as good as Ronaldo, because how many golden balls (Ballons d’Or) did Ronaldo win? Five? Nobody, not even Messi or Ronaldo, can be compared to them. But, to be honest, if we’re just talking about quality, football quality, I have nothing to envy them.
Balotelli played with City for two and a half seasons, including a notable assist for Sergio Aguero during the 2011 title season, before moving to AC Milan in 2013.
“I think leaving Manchester City was my worst mistake,” Balotelli said. “Even in the year before I left, I had a good year and a half in Milan, but then I had some troubles.” And now that I’m older, I realize how foolish it was for me to leave the city at that time.
All these years, I’ve seen Manchester City improve. I’m sure if I had stayed here for a longer period of time, like Sergio Aguero, I could have won at least one golden ball (Ballon d’Or), but as you know, as you get older, you mature more”.
