Mario Balotelli signs with Adana Demirspor

Mario Balotelli is back in football, signing with Turkish club Adana Demirspor. The club officially confirmed his arrival, announcing the deal on their social media accounts and releasing the following statement:

“Today a transfer took place that will write its name in the history of our Adana Demirspor with golden letters,” the club wrote.

“Mario Balotelli has officially signed a three-year contract with our team. Super Mario will now score goals for the blue jersey.”

The player most recently played for Monza in Serie B, and has fallen down the pecking order in the Italian national team selection. This new move for him is assumed to be a bid to impress Azzurri boss Roberto Mancini again, and potentially make it into the World Cup 2022 squad. 

Balotelli has featured in numerous countries across Europe, playing for Manchester City, Liverpool, Nice and Marseille. He is also one of the few players to feature for both Milan clubs, but has since been unable to reach the same heights since. Adana Demirspor are a newly promoted club in Turkey, and will play the Super Lig for the first time in 2021, and it could be a great opportunity for him to restart his career. 

However, disciplinary issues have plagued the majority of Balotelli’s career and it could mean further decline for him if he doesn’t somehow manage to deliver a decent return to his new club.