Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not hold Mario Balotelli in his heart and does not hide it. In an interview given to an Italian media outlet, the Swede cut short a question from a journalist who was preparing to compare a failed gesture by Rafael Leao, his former teammate at AC Milan, to the fantasies on the pitch of the Italian Mario Balotelli.
The gesture in question is a missed backheel from the Portuguese during Milan-Newcastle in the Champions League. Ibrahimovic directly interrupted the journalist without him being able to finish his sentence: “No, no, we’re not joking about that,” he insisted. “Leao is a genius, he is the only one who sees certain things. This is why Leao is on the pitch and Balotelli in the stands,” added the Swede. It hurts.
“Ibra”, who rubbed shoulders with the young Mario Balotelli, then aged 16, between 2007 and 2009 at Inter Milan, hoped to see the transalpine phenomenon blossom, but the former PSG scorer quickly noticed that the Italian would not have a career worthy of his talent.
“He had so many opportunities to exploit his talent and change his future, he missed them all,” noted Zlatan during an exchange to which he was invited as part of the Sports Festival , in Italy. “There are a lot of guys waiting for these opportunities and he got a lot of them. But he wasted them, that’s the truth,” concluded the former Juventus player.
The Italian was quick to respond to Ibra on his Instagram account, posting a photo of himself with the Champions League, which he won during the 2009-2010 season with Inter. A title that the Swede has never won in his great and long career.
Balotelli certainly won the C1, but has been more talked about in extra-sporting matters than on the field throughout his career. The former Olympique de Marseille and Manchester City striker returned to Turkey to Adana Demirspor in September, after terminating his contract with FC Sion, and is struggling to find the light again.
