The Life and Times of 'Entertaining' Mario Balotelli

[Unbelievable]

No doubt in my mind a 22 year old Mario Balotelli is a better player than RVP was at 22.

 

Never..

[Guest neesy111]

No doubt in my mind a 22 year old Mario Balotelli is a better player than RVP was at 22.

 

[KDT]

I think it's close between the two, Van Persie seemed to be constantly injured at that time and Balotelli has done much more at international level at 22.

[Pata]

No doubt in my mind a 22 year old Mario Balotelli is a better player than RVP was at 22.

 

This is true IMO. Van Persie scored only 10 goals in the league in his first two seasons with Arsenal.

[Unbelievable]

No doubt in my mind a 22 year old Mario Balotelli is a better player than RVP was at 22.

 

This is true IMO. Van Persie scored only 10 goals in the league in his first two seasons with Arsenal.

 

Playing as a winger, as Wenger tends to do.

[Guest neesy111]

No doubt in my mind a 22 year old Mario Balotelli is a better player than RVP was at 22.

 

This is true IMO. Van Persie scored only 10 goals in the league in his first two seasons with Arsenal.

 

Playing as a winger, as Wenger tends to do.

 

Aye, wasn't the striker he was then.

[Guest JS]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

[Unbelievable]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

[KDT]

Van Persie's attitude has been questioned a few times as well.  If Balotelli applies himself correctly and is allowed to the focal point of a team, which I think he will be at Milan and with the national team then he'll have a great career.

[Guest JS]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

 

How is what I said 'nonsense' exactly?

[Unbelievable]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

 

How is what I said 'nonsense' exactly?

 

Because Mario doesn't have more to his game than Van Persie did at that age. What exactly are the attributes you see in Mario that you feel RvP didn't have?

[KDT]

Power, pace and a better goalscoring record.

[Unbelievable]

Power, pace and a better goalscoring record.

 

Power I'll grant you. Pace, I don't think so. A better goalscoring record is not an attribute in itself; RvP is/was comfortably the better finisher imho. If he had been played centrally from the start (which he didn't at Arsenal, understandably), he would have had a similar if not better goalscoring record then than Mario does now.

 

I respect Mario Balotelli as a promising striker, but he doesn't have much more to his game than Van Persie at that age, not in a million years. [/bias]

[Guest JS]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

 

How is what I said 'nonsense' exactly?

 

Because Mario doesn't have more to his game than Van Persie did at that age. What exactly are the attributes you see in Mario that you feel RvP didn't have?

 

I think as far as footballing ability goes they are probably quite similar. I would say he is stronger, mentally* and physically, and can produce more moments of magic if you will. I can't recall Holland relying on a 22 year old RvP dragging them though a major tournament. I'm not really a fan of his either, far from it truth be told, but he's proved himself already at a high level, his downfall is his stupidity and his temperament often works against him.

 

RvP has always had that toys out of the pram behavior too. The blokes a total fucking dick really. Do you think RvP would have developed better without being eased into a team or new position under a different manager?

 

 

[Unbelievable]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

 

How is what I said 'nonsense' exactly?

 

Because Mario doesn't have more to his game than Van Persie did at that age. What exactly are the attributes you see in Mario that you feel RvP didn't have?

 

I think as far as footballing ability goes they are probably quite similar. I would say he is stronger, mentally* and physically, and can produce more moments of magic if you will. I can't recall Holland relying on a 22 year old RvP dragging them though a major tournament. I'm not really a fan of his either, far from it truth be told, but he's proved himself already at a high level, his downfall is his stupidity and his temperament often works against him.

 

RvP has always had that toys out of the pram behavior too. The blokes a total f***ing dick really. Do you think RvP would have developed better without being eased into a team or new position under a different manager?

 

 

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on Mario being stronger mentally and able to produce more moments of magic, because you'll never convince me of either of those claims.

 

Regarding your last question: yes, I do believe Van Persie was held back in the early stages of his career, both at Feyenoord where he was behind Van Hooijdonk as an 18 year old, forced to play on the left wing, and at Arsenal, where he was groomed for years before finally being allowed to be the main striker well into his twenties. I understand why, I mean Henry and Bergkamp were phenomenal of course, but if Van Persie had gone to another club where he would have been the main striker at an earlier age, say a club like Ajax (as much as I detest them), where they are not afraid to hand the number 9 shirt to a teenager, he could have been the player he is now considerably earlier. The talent was always there in my opinion.

[ponsaelius]

His injuries held him back more than his position. If he'd been able to stay fit, he'd have probably ended up central striker a good few years earlier.

[Guest JS]

Mario has so much more about him now as a player then RVP did at 22.

 

Nonsense. I saw Van Persie play as a 16 year old, and you could see then how ridiculously talented he was, especially technically. I don't think it was ever in doubt how good he was going to be. Wenger just eased him in very slowly, as he tends to do with young forwards. Mario is obviously talented too, but is a fruitcake mentally, so it is a big question mark if he will ever be able to live up to his potential imho.

 

How is what I said 'nonsense' exactly?

 

Because Mario doesn't have more to his game than Van Persie did at that age. What exactly are the attributes you see in Mario that you feel RvP didn't have?

 

I think as far as footballing ability goes they are probably quite similar. I would say he is stronger, mentally* and physically, and can produce more moments of magic if you will. I can't recall Holland relying on a 22 year old RvP dragging them though a major tournament. I'm not really a fan of his either, far from it truth be told, but he's proved himself already at a high level, his downfall is his stupidity and his temperament often works against him.

 

RvP has always had that toys out of the pram behavior too. The blokes a total f***ing dick really. Do you think RvP would have developed better without being eased into a team or new position under a different manager?

 

 

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on Mario being stronger mentally and able to produce more moments of magic, because you'll never convince me of either of those claims.

 

Regarding your last question: yes, I do believe Van Persie was held back in the early stages of his career, both at Feyenoord where he was behind Van Hooijdonk as an 18 year old, forced to play on the left wing, and at Arsenal, where he was groomed for years before finally being allowed to be the main striker well into his twenties. I understand why, I mean Henry and Bergkamp were phenomenal of course, but if Van Persie had gone to another club where he would have been the main striker at an earlier age, say a club like Ajax (as much as I detest them), where they are not afraid to hand the number 9 shirt to a teenager, he could have been the player he is now considerably earlier. The talent was always there in my opinion.

 

It's quite scary to think how he could have developed in the way you suggest. His injury record has also been pretty bad over the years. But then again it's no certainty.

 

OH WELL

[LRD]

Balotelli orders life-sized statue of himself

 

Mario Balotelli has added to his reputation for the extreme by commissioning a life-sized statue of himself to be made for his home in Brescia.

 

http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2013/0227/mariobalotellimuscles20120628_275x155.jpg

Mario Balotelli celebrates against Germany in Euro 2012

 

Balotelli, 22, returned to Italy in January to play for AC Milan after a turbulent spell with Manchester City and has made quite an impression with four goals in his first three games for his new club.

 

However, the Italian striker wants to make a different impression on guests to his home and, according to Il Giornale di Brescia he has asked local artist Livio Scarpella to 'immortalise' him in a statue.

 

"I have received the commission, but I've never met Balotelli so I am working from photos," Scarpella told the paper. "I presented several drawings but Mario wanted to be immortalised in a pose that shows him having scored a goal, highlighting his muscles and with an expression of defiance.

 

"I have imagined him as an athlete from ancient times and the statue will be a mix of classical and pop style in platinum and coloured bronze with the eyes made of stones."

 

Italian media reports have speculated that the pose which Balotelli wants is the one he showcased after scoring against Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-final - one of the highlights of his often wayward career to date.

 

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1356447/mario-balotelli-orders-life-sized-statue-of-himself?cc=4716

 

 

[Ishmael]

What a fool.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Platinum and coloured bronze, with stone eyes. Sounds classy alright.

[Guest Affy]

Guys class 

[The College Dropout]

Load of tosh. RVP's injuries held him back. For a player of his quality Arsenal is amongst the bet clubs o be at as a youngster. Certainly a better environment than Inter or City.

 

Mario has achieved far more than RVP at 22. Has more to his game at 22.  More goals. More responsibility. RVP's movement had always been better, partly because he's spent a fair bu of his career as a #10. Mario's the more natural finisher.

[Tooj]

http://dailymilan.com/news/mario-balotelli-is-back-four-four-two-article-march-2013/

[Deuce]

Football bad boy Mario Balotelli has reportedly been dumped by his girlfriend of seven months Fanny Neguesha.

 

The relationship ended just days after Mario was reported to have made lewd remarks about the Belgian model, apparently saying that Real Madrid's team could sleep with her if they win their Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, although he denied saying this.

 

In Spanish newspapers AS and Marca, Mario had been quoted as saying: 'If Real Madrid come back in Champions League, I'll let my girlfriend sleep with them!'

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2318416/Mario-Balotelli-dumped-girlfriend-Fanny-Neguesha-days-promised-Real-Madrid-players-sleep-her.html

 

[SEMTEX]

That's an obscene name.