Mario Balotelli’s departure to AC Milan leaves a great void in the Premier League where a loveable rogue used to be. It is hard to perfect the art of acting like a renegade while still being widely loved, but Super Mario had it down to a T.

His apparent compulsion not to act that bothered about football unless he had been personally wronged somehow gave him a vigilante vibe. Sometimes it took a few kicks to the shins to get him interested – and even then, it usually meant a red card. His tremendous goal to kick off the famous 6-1 win in the Manchester derby was apparently powered by a desire to retaliate against the media attention.

But, of course, he won that attention by having a firework go off in his bathroom the night before the game. He was sent by his mother to John Lewis to buy an iron and returned with a quad-bike, Scalextric and a trampoline. He wore a camouflage-print onesie. Balotelli’s time at Manchester City saw him become totally unpredictable and mostly uninterested – what better roguish traits?

On-field antics -

Swung between the petulant (his storm of rage against Arsenal), the spectacular (scoring with his shoulder against Norwich City) and the actually-quite-nasty (stamping on Scott Parker).  Four stars.

Off-field escapades -

There’s a reason why every urban legend in Manchester of the last five years has involved Balotelli. Five stars.

Social networking shenanigans - 

Never joined Twitter but inspired so many millions of fake and parody accounts that it feels like you can hardly get away from him. Two-and-a-half stars.

Lifted by the law - 

No stranger to a parking fine here and there – and, of course, an investigation into the legendary firework – but mostly kept his antics innocent and childlike.

The sex factor -

Embarrassed by a newspaper scoop on his alleged 19-month affair but seems to have rekindled the seemingly ruined relationship with ex-ex-girlfriend Raffaele Fico, the mother of his child. Yes, there’s a tiny Balotelli now to continue his legacy!