Revealed: Ex-Man City & Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli names ‘disaster’ coach that was ‘worst’ of his career

The enigmatic Italian frontman has made plenty of headlines over the course of his career – and not always for the right reasons. He has led a rather nomadic existence, with current employers Adana Demirspor the 11th club that the 33-year-old forward has represented.

He has taken in two spells in England – becoming a Premier League title winner at City – but endured a testing time at Liverpool after moving to Anfield in 2014 and has told TVPlay of the manager that he worked with on Merseyside: “Brendan Rodgers is the worst coach I have ever had. He was number one as far as training sessions were concerned, what with keeping possession of the ball and the small-sided games. But as a person he was a disaster.”

Balotelli, who was drafted in by Liverpool to replace the departed Luis Suarez, scored just four goals for the Reds in 28 appearances. Rodgers has previously told talkSPORT after attracting criticism from a mercurial talent: “He was probably absolutely spot on. I just couldn’t really connect with Mario. He was one that came in very late in the window. It was a gamble taken from a club perspective. It was one where, he’s a big talent, he’ll come in and develop, he’s got all the tools. In all fairness, I just found it very difficult to connect with Mario. On the field, he tried his best. But it certainly wasn’t something that worked out as everyone would like. If he could ever match that intensity with his talent, then he’d be one of the best players in the world.”

Balotelli also won the FA Cup during his time with City, having previously lifted the Serie A title and Champions League with Inter. He landed the prestigious Golden Boy award in 2010, while earning 36 caps for his country, but remains a tale of what could have been had full potential been unlocked in his game.