"Not an easy guy to deal with" - Mario Balotelli recalls how Jose Mourinho kicked him out of team bus over argument
Former Manchester City star Mario Balotelli has shed light on one of his confrontations with Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho during their time together at Inter Milan. He revealed that the manager kicked him off the team bus over an argument, saying that the AS Roma man is not an easy-going person.
Balotelli is widely hailed as one of the most controversial personalities in the world of football. He has had disagreements with many managers during his career, including the legendary tactician Mourinho.
Speaking to the Muschio Selvaggio podcast, the Sion striker opened up about a heated exchange he had with Mourinho while on an away trip. He admitted that he was evicted from the team bus as a result of the bust-up and had to get a car to return home. The former Italy international said (via GOAL):
“Mou is not an easy guy to deal with, much like me. One time before a trip to Catania, we had an argument on the bus taking us to the airport. He made me get off the bus, and I had to return home with a car.”
Mario Balotelli played 71 games under the former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea boss at Inter Milan. Over the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, the former AC Milan ace scored 21 times and claimed 12 assists under Mourinho.
Most trophies of Mario Balotelli’s career came under Jose Mourinho
Mario Balotelli was not at his prolific best under Jose Mourinho. As a result, the Portuguese tactician often kept him on the bench, especially in the big games. The Italian might look back and feel frustrated by Mourinho’s treatment of him, but he cannot deny the impact the Portuguese has had on his trophy cabinet.
Balotelli has ten trophies in his career. Five of them came under Mourinho between 2008 and 2010. He won consecutive Serie A titles, in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, scoring 17 times and claiming seven assists in 48 games. In the 2009-10 campaign, he won the Champions League, pitching in with a goal and an assist in eight games.
The Italian scored once in the Supercoppa Italiana in the 2008-09 season and netted once and provided an assist (five games) in Inter’s Coppa Italia win in the 2009-10 season.