Super Mario and the Plight of Youth

The Adventures of Mario Balotelli

Super Mario World by Mike P Mitchell

Speaking after his side’s 3-0 home defeat in 2007, Big Sam ‘Allardici’ Allardyce, then the manager of Newcastle, made one of his more insightful comments: “You cannot play football on ability alone.” While he was talking about his team play in general, this quote can easily be applied to the reams of young players from across the globe who are labelled as future greats. Every year dozens of new Maradonas, Pelés and Zidanes emerge.  Aimar, Cassano, Quaresma, Robinho, Gourcuff, Huntelaar – all fantastically talented, technically gifted, potential match-winners. And while they have forged decent careers for themselves across Europe they have failed to live up to their initial billing. None of these players are the world beaters they were touted as becoming. They are not alone, the grindstone of football academies churns out thousands of players, hundreds are gobbled up by the hype machine and spat out. Only a select few survive the process and emerge as genuine super stars.

It is a cruel but necessary process; for every Cristiano Ronaldo there are a dozen Quaresmas and for every Quaresma there are dozens more skilful players that for some reason or other leave no significant trace. At any given time there are number of young players who are in danger of falling into this category. They seem destined for greatness but continually get lost on the way. They do not progress as quickly as expected. The great performance that made the world take notice slips further and further into the past. The occasional glimpses of talent are not enough to silence the growing hoard of doubters. They are young and have time on their sides. But time marches on. The once dazzling 18 year old is suddenly 23; eventually it stops being about potential and starts becoming a question of productivity. This is a cross-road for the player, and while it occurs at different points for different players, its purpose is uniform – sorting the good from the great. The career of Mario Baruwah Balotelli is approaching this defining moment.

It is important to note here that Balotelli has faced serious adversity in his life so far. Born with life-threatening intestinal problems to Ghanaian immigrants who could not afford to take care of him, he was taken in by foster parents. Amongst other things, his time in Italy was blighted by rampant racism from the stands which, at the risk of sounding like a pop psychologist, most likely contributed to his ‘me vs. the world’ outlook. Perhaps this explains why Balotelli at times is something of an idiot. Players who fail to live up to the hype generally fall into two categories. Some can reasonably blame external sources and an inability to deal with them – a manager who has no faith in them, long-term injury or a move that comes too early in a career. Others can blame nobody but themselves.

Should he fail, Balotelli would undoubtedly be amongst the latter. As a spiritual heir to Antonio Cassano (who has to some extent cleaned up his act), Balotelli managed to build a reputation as one of football’s most troublesome personalities before he could legally drink in the United States. He at times seemed determined to sabotage his career with a sheer-mindedness that beggared belief. While at Inter he had a series of bust ups with pretty much everyone. His attitude drew ire from all quarters and he was routinely criticized by teammates and his manager, José Mourinho, for his lack of effort and abrasive nature. After a series of poor decisions, including wearing an AC Milan jersey in public, the Inter fans lost their patience and Mario was sent packing.

Because of all this it was seen as a risk when Roberto Mancini signed Balotelli for Manchester City. Despite the fact that he made his debut for Inter at 16 years of age, despite the fact that he had scored in the Champions League, despite a match winning performance against Roma in the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia, despite all this before the age of 20, clouds of doubt hung over Balotelli. It is hard to overstate his talent. Standing at over 6 foot and weighing a hefty 88kg does not prevent him from covering ground very quickly. And yet his phenomenal physical attributes do not define his game. Balotelli is excellent technically, able to bring the ball under control swiftly and glide past defenders as easily as he can bulldoze through them. All of this, allied to a ferocious shot and outstanding ability from dead ball situations, suggests that he has everything to be a truly top class player.

Well maybe not everything. When awarded with the Golden Boy Award in December 2010, an award given by assorted Italian media to the best young player in the world, he accepted the prize with all the poise and grace one would expect of him, stating that only Lionel Messi was better than him and claiming that he had never heard of the runner-up, a certain Jack Wilshere. This blend of arrogance, stupidity and talent marked his first season in English football. The tabloids quickly took to him with reports emerging of him helping hobos and a bullied child while on the other hand throwing darts at reserve team players and run-ins with the police. 6 goals in 17 appearances represented a good return for a young forward in his first season in the premier league and a man of the match performance in the FA Cup Final that City won would suggest progress, but two needless red cards against West Brom and Dynamo Kyiv meant that the question marks would linger. 

Undeterred, he continued down his reckless path, equal parts awe-inspiring and infuriating. Remember that it was his strength and composure that set up Sergio Aguero for that goal and that earlier in the same season he inspired City to a 6-1 victory over the red half of Manchester. Also remember that his bull-headedness resulted in 14 yellow cards and 3 red cards in 54 premier league appearances and a falling out with the one man who had always supported him, meaning he was sent packing once more. Upon his departure, a host of British pundits took to the stage to formally declare his demise. Sure he was talented but he would never be able to conquer himself. It was as if the media circus surrounding the Premier League forgot its long relationship with troubled individuals and assorted nutcases – the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Eric Cantona and Paolo DiCanio did alright didn’t they?

 Returned to his native Italy, in a team that was built to get the best out of him, Balotelli flourished scoring 12 goals in 13 games. After a good half season spell at AC Milan, he continued his impressive form at an entertaining Confederations Cup, cementing his place as Italy’s number 9. This is the season where Mario Balotelli should remove the asterisk next to his name. Everything is set for him to prove his critics wrong. Few footballers seem to combine the sublime and the ridiculous in the way that he does. Following him is like watching a compelling piece of drama and every one of his actions seems geared toward his impending greatness or doom. It is hard to imagine the mundane with Balotelli, his whole life seems to be careering forward at speeds that make it simultaneously hard to watch and impossible to look away from. Will we be left with a glittering career or a burning wreck? The odds are certainly shifting towards the former. 

He's come a long way