World Cup winning Germany boss Joachim Löw has weighed in on the seemingly never ending Mario Balotelli debate, by claiming that based on talent alone, the Italian should be as good as anybody on the planet.
Löw witnessed our controversial and out of favour forward at arguably his most devastating – when he bagged a terrific brace to down Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-finals.
But since, it’s fair to say he hasn’t developed into a world leading striker, and couldn’t get in our side last season – scoring just one Premier League goal the entire campaign.
“I have seen him from time to time against Germany or in Italy and he was just awesome,”Löw told Bild, reported in the Echo.
“When he realises his potential, he would probably not be able to be stopped by anyone.
“Of course, he does far too little. Those are only special moments in which he appears. He does not make enough of the chances he gets.”
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The comments only make the whole Balotelli situation all the more frustrating. When he arrived, the entire fanbase was desperate for him to be successful and reach his potential, but for a number of reasons – some undeniably his fault – Balotelli is now arguably surplus to requirements under Brendan Rodgers.
Sampdoria want to take him back to Italy, but won’t even pay a £7m fee for his services (via Daily Mail), which is pretty depressing, in truth.
There’s only so much longer fans can speak about Balotelli’s ‘potential’. He turns 25 this year, and is in serious danger of wasting it.
Despite his mistakes, it’s hard not to like Mario – and whether he stays with us or leaves – we’ll wish him the best.