Italian Hero Set for Manchester City Stay
Balotelli scored two brilliant goals and stole the show in Italy's Euro 2012 semi final against Germany
Mario Balotelli's agent has stated that the former Inter Milan striker has no intention of going back to Serie A and also claimed Manchester City and manager Roberto Mancini were relying on the 21 year old. The Italian scored two brilliant goals and stole the show in the Euro 2012 semi final against Germany on Thursday and helped the Azzurri book their place in the decider, where they will face champions Spain.
Balotelli has recently been linked with a return to his homeland, with league champions Juventus seen as a potential destination. But despite speculation, agent Mino Raiola insisted the controversial hit man had no intention of leaving the Premier League winners, especially since the Serie A was struggling with economic issues.
"Maybe I have not been clear - Balotelli can't come back to Italy. Italian football's economic situation means that at the moment top players can't come to Italy. In football, nothing is impossible, but Mario hasn't spoken to me. He has no intention to come back. City and the coach are relying on him," Sky Sports quoted the agent as saying.
Meanwhile, Balotelli described Italy's semi final win over Germany as the best night of his career and added that he wanted to repeat his heroics in the final.
"This was the best night of my career, but I hope that Sunday's will be even better," Goal.com quoted him as saying.
Italy drew 1-1 with Spain in their opening match of the tournament and the Azzurri remain the only team that has managed to score against Vicente del Bosque's side in this campaign.
"We do not have to be scared of Spain. We know how they play. We know we can beat them. We will have to be patient and wait for them, because they do a lot of passes, but we know we can win," Balotelli stressed.
The City striker has three Euro goals to his name now and is currently joint top scorer of the championships.
"Top scorer of the tournament? We will see, I would like to score in the final. But I do not care how well I play in the final, what I want is to win," he pointed out.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.