Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini is hopeful that Mario Balotelli will eventually be able to earn a recall to the Italy squad despite being overlooked by coach Giampiero Ventura on this occasion.
Balotelli hasn’t featured for Italy since 2014 but he has commenced the campaign in excellent fashion for his new club Nice, scoring six goals in five games.
That wasn’t sufficient to earn Balotelli a place in the Italy squad for the games against Spain and Macedonia, but the forward accepted the decision and Chiellini praised his compatriot’s newfound maturity.
Speaking at a press conference, Chiellini said: “The doors of the national team are open to everyone. He’s now beginning to think like an adult, and what he said – in my eyes – shows a great maturation. To say that he didn’t deserve it and that he only wants to come back at the top shows humility on Balotelli’s part.
“If it’s like that he’ll be an added value for anyone. The Balotelli who messes around is no use to himself or anyone else, I gave him that advice when we were younger.
“His qualities are endless, but what he was lacking was the awareness that certain values like sacrifice and humility can take you higher, returning him to the national team and making him an important player in this squad.
“Am I confident? I hope so, for his sake. Ever since we were little I’ve taken Mario under my wing, I was the first to cheer for him, to shut his mouth…
“He’s always been a person I’ve really liked, if he knows how to behave himself then I don’t see why he shouldn’t be in the national team. I hope that Nice empowers him.”
Balotelli demonstrated his vast potential as a youngster but, perhaps owing to his controversial nature, the striker has yet to hit the heights that many predicted him to.
A frustrating spell at Liverpool led to suggestions in some quarters that Balotelli will never be able to perform consistently, but his start at Nice has offered fresh hope that he could well salvage his career.
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