The Fantabulous Adventures of Mario Balotelli

[King Ellis]

I hope he never matures into an adult.

I bet you say that to all the boys.

[Lineker]

Just the big strong black ones

[stokeriño]

Be safe!

[Berober]

I hope he never matures into an adult.

I bet you say that to all the boys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnyHCK_w8ac

(Sorry, you barely get any opening for a Meat Loaf song )

And wow, words cannot describe the legend that is Mario Balotelli.

[Lineker]

This is why David Platt is no longer a football manager.

Manchester City coach David Platt reckons controversial striker Mario Balotelli is showing greater maturity.

The Italian has never been far from the headlines since moving to City, picking up two red cards on the pitch and causing controversy away from it.

But Balotelli, 21, has scored six goals in five games including the first two in the 6-1 derby win at rivals United.

"I don't think he is a difficult player to manage. He is not someone who sulks," insisted Platt.

Balotelli had to evacuate his home hours before the derby after a stray firework caused a blaze in his bathroom.

And, in a nod to his headline-grabbing habits, he revealed a shirt with the slogan "Why always me?" after scoring the opening goal in the Old Trafford clash.

But Platt says Balotelli has improved his concentration, which has led to more consistent performances on the pitch.

"People saw his talent but they perhaps saw it in fleeting moments last season," said the former England international.

"His behaviour has always been good but there have been too many ups and downs in terms of his concentration levels. But they [the concentration levels] are there and have been for a good two to three months now.

"He will lose concentration but you can snap him back out of it. He is never down for a week - it is 10 seconds and then he is out of it.

"He is an enigma."

Playmaker David Silva was also outstanding in City's rout of United and has been tipped as an early contender for player of the season but Platt says any such talk is premature.

"He is one exceptional player but it is very early to start talking about players of the year," he said.

"There is a long way to go in the season and there are a lot of very good players who are also doing well.

"But equally I would be very surprised if the consistency of his performances went down because we see it on a daily basis."

Seriously.

[stokeriño]

Ah yes, the infallible "goals = maturity" equation.

[Benjamin]

I think it's awesome Balotelli is only two years older than me, as it makes me feel about ten times less mature than I sometimes feel when I'm down.

[DavidMarrio]

[GoGo Yubari]

I love that he just unintelligibly mutters every answer.

[Berober]

Casual FHM magazine in the background Mario? (Y)

[Colly]

In fairness to him, despite being a div he's near fluent in English which is pretty good going. Even our greatest role model footballer in David Beckham took 4 years to speak one sentence in Spanish which he didn't understand...

[gunnar hendershow]

He probably learned English from a young age.

[FLiam]

"Apart from football and darts what other sports do you enjoy?"

Loved his reaction to that question. I hope he never leaves this country.

[TCO]

In fairness to him, despite being a div he's near fluent in English which is pretty good going. Even our greatest role model footballer in David Beckham took 4 years to speak one sentence in Spanish which he didn't understand...

Isn't Ghana's first language English? I know he spent most of his life in Italy but he'll have some groundwork in English anyway.

[DavidMarrio]

[Liam]

That was brilliant. Good stuff.

[-A-]

[MDK]

Bwahahahaha.

You know he is thinking about what stupid thing to do next.

[therockbox]

Is that Attilio Lombardo right at the back?

[Liam]

Yes it is. He coaches at Man City.