After five months without football, Balotelli finds new club
Football
By
Mirror
| Dec 08, 2020
Mario Balotelli has joined Serie B side Monza. [Courtesy]
Mario Balotelli has joined Serie B side Monza having been without a club for five months.
The controversial character saw his contract terminated by Italian outfit Brescia back in July and has been looking now a new employer ever since.
Balotelli had been training with Franciacorta, who play in the fourth tier of Italian football.
But the former Manchester City and Liverpool man has now teamed up with former AC Milan team-mate Kevin-Prince Boateng.
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Monza are owned by former Italy Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Balotelli will wear the no 45 shirt - the same number he wore while at the Etihad.
Previous to signing with the Serie B side the 30-year-old had been linked with a move to Championship side Barnsley.
In this Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 filer, Udinese's Rodrigo De Paul, right, and Brescia's Mario Balotelli vie for the ball, during a Italian Serie A soccer match at the Mario Rigamonti stadium in Brescia, Italy. Former Italy striker Mario Balotelli was reportedly fired by his hometown club for failing to report for training as the Italian soccer season prepares to resume from a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. [Gianluca Checchi, LaPresse via AP, File]
Talks were reportedly held between the player and the Tykes last month.
But Balotelli now has his sights set on Serie A and has vowed to help the club reach the top flight.
“I thank the president Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani for this opportunity," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I will do everything to help Monza reach Serie A."
The club's chairman has warned the player however that this is his "last chance".
"I will do everything to help Monza reach Serie A." - Balotelli. [Courtesy]
Monza are Balotelli's eighth club in the last decade.
City sold the forward to Milan in 2013 before he returned to England with Liverpool 18 months later.
He endured a horror spell at Anfield and his next permanent move saw him join French side Nice.
It was at the Ligue 1 outfit where Balotelli enjoyed his most productive season as he scored 26 times in 2017/18.
In January 2019 the Italian terminated his contract with Nice and moved to Marseille before joining Brescia, his hometown club.