Italian football manager, Paolo Di Canio has spoken about the fall from glory of his countryman, Mario Balotelli.
Speaking to TalkSport, the former Sunderland manager who was also a controversial figure during his playing days spoke up about the controversial Big Italian.
Di Canio believes that Balotelli is more of a celebrity than a footballer. The 47-year-old manager stated that the striker had to help his career by making positive changes to his lifestyle.
“Talking as a manager, my view on football is you need to understand what it means to play with and for your team-mates.
“You need to show empathy in good moments and bad moments. It doesn’t look like he is doing this.
“Many managers have tried to change him. Mancini was his father in football but even he now doesn’t want him back at Inter.
“Mourinho understood at the beginning. He is a very good reader of players and he saw that you can’t change this guy. Now he is nearly 25, he needs to change himself. He can’t rely on other people to help him,” he said.
Di Canio believes that the 24-year-old is incredibly talented but will have to make sacrifices to get his career back on course.
“The demons are in his brain. He is still young, physically he is strong, he is an incredible natural athlete, but he has never used his big potential.
“Sometimes he thinks football is I can keep the ball, show off in some way, and then my team-mates have to run for me. No. Football is sacrifice. Football is to bond with your team-mates. Not off the field in a bar because you are generous. It is being generous on the pitch.
“He has big potential and I hope in my heart for him that he can turn it around, but I presume it will be very difficult because he spends too much time on social network and it seems he uses football to be a celebrity – not the opposite,” Di Canio further stated.
Mario Balotelli’s future is currently uncertain after having a less than impressive debut season for Liverpool despite all the faith manager, Brendan Rodgers showed in him.
