Former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has dubbed his current manager a “disaster” and the “worst coach” of his career.
Throughout his career, the mysterious Italian frontman has garnered a lot of attention, sometimes not for the best reasons.
The 33-year-old forward has played for 11 different clubs throughout his career, with his current employers Adana Demirspor being the latest stop on his nomadic lifestyle.
He spent two stints in England, winning the Premier League title at City, but after arriving at Anfield in 2014, he went through a trying period at Liverpool. He told TVPlay about the manager he worked under 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.”
Upon joining Liverpool as a replacement for the departed Luis Suarez, Balotelli managed to score only four goals in 28 appearances for the Reds. Responding to criticism from the mercurial talent, Rodgers had previously addressed the matter on talkSPORT.
“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.”
After winning the Champions League and Serie A with Inter, Balotelli also won the FA Cup while he was with City. Despite winning 36 caps for his nation and winning the coveted Golden Boy award in 2010, he is still a story of what might have been if his game had reached its full potential.