Mario Balotelli re-discovering himself in Turkish Super Lig
It is quite a shame that someone of Mario Balotelli's talent is no longer visible in Europe's top leagues.
At the start of the season, he moved to Turkey amidst little fanfare. Almost everyone seems to have forgotten the player. In the last three years, the Italian changed two countries to finally land in Turkey.
First Serie A goal of the 2010s: Mario Balotelli ✅
First Serie A goal of the 2020s: Mario Balotelli ✅ https://t.co/pLCMuEa3uU
Mario Balotelli lost in France
Mario Balotelli left Liverpool at the start of the 2016/17 season after a fallout with Jurgen Klopp. His next destination was France, where he spent the following four years.
OGC Nice was the first French club to hire his services. It seemed to be a good move at that time given its seclusion from regular media discussion.
Balotelli's early days at Nice brought good dividends, with him scoring in both Ligue 1 and the Europa League. Nice's struggles at the back during that time further underlined the importance of having such a physical centre-forward as Balotelli.
However, for the tempermental Italian, the good days did not last long. The fallout with then-Nice boss Patrick Vieira prompted a move to Marseille. Despite scoring in almost half the matches he played, he was not Rudi Garcia's go-to man.
Following a year at Brescia, Balotelli left France for Serie A outfit AC Monza. Finally, at the start of this season, he joined Adana Demirspor in Turkish Super Lig.
Mario Balotelli celebrated his goal against Besiktas by taunting manager Sergen Yalcin TEN YEARS after he said the striker 'had no brain' following his infamous backheel miss against LA Galaxy.
Mario never forgets 🧠 https://t.co/aDdu4nvtZ6
Balotelli's resurgence in Turkey
This could not have been a more perfect script.
After two years in obscurity, Balotelli's move to Turkey was indicative of the man's willingness to compete at a fairly high level, with little to no media surveillance. He immediately hit the ground running.
For newly-promoted Adana Demirspor, it was expected to be a season of turbulence. However, Balotelli's arrival has rapidly changed the club's fortunes.
Balotelli scored his opening goal of the season in a 3-1 win against Rizespor. He made it four in a row after scoring in each of Demirspor's next three league outings.
Demirspor picked up 10 points from a possible 12, which included a classic 3-3 draw against defending champions Besiktas. Balotelli's 79th-minute bullet shot inspired Demirspor's comeback in that game.
In 17 league appearances so far, the Italian has slammed seven goals and two assists. More importantly, his club are flying as high as sixth in the Super Lig table, one place ahead of Besiktas.
Balotelli could not have come at a better time for Demirspor and they will hope his renaissance propels them to a European finish.