Mad man and Milan

Mario Balotelli.

‘SuperMario’, they call him. An enigma with a troubled background, Mario Balotelli’s tale is not particularly different from the head cases floating around in the game these days. A point to ponder is how/why these crazy men are gifted with such spell-bounding talent. Worthy of thought, that topic. But, that is a topic for another day.

Balotelli’s rocky relationship with Manchester City could force him out of the club in June, 2012. The boy is twenty-one, possesses all the talent in the world to become a regular member of the esteemed triumvirate, i.e, the top three footballers in the sport. Jose Mourinho once said, if Balotelli trained to at least fifty percent of his potential, he could become one of the finest footballers in the world. But he trains to only a quarter of what is required of him. And therein lies the problem.

Milan are being linked with the mental magician, a deal which would bring him back to Italy, the country he belongs to. Nationalistic ego massaging aside, Milan would probably steal yet another Inter player, whom Massimo Moratti gave up on, rather too easily. Sold at a lofty figure of around £23 million, Balotelli’s five year contract made him potentially unavailable to most clubs around the world. But his idiosyncrasies and volatile nature have destabilised City considerably, with fans and players questioning the purpose, and need for Mario’s presence at Eastlands. Milan are a timely poacher, who have gained a reputation of making a meal of such situations. But previous negotiations with City concerning another troubled player hit a snag. City are hard to bargain with, it seems.

So, it is fair to assume, that City will not wash their hands off Mario at a minor price. Milan will have to match the initial price tag to sign Mario. Is it then, worth the while? No, I think not.

Milan’s management are not rolling in money. Gone are the days when a failed investment is laughed about over a glass of wine. The club now follows a frugal financial policy, whereby expensive investments must not stand a very high probability of failure. Balotelli’s signature is clearly not in alignment with Milan’s new-found belief in transfer decision making.

Balotelli’s arrival would mark the exit of a top player. Milan are not in a position to fund this transfer without the sale of a star. Alexandre Pato appears to be the favourite, the one who must become the sacrificial lamb. But, how does the sale of a crocked potential superstar justify the purchase of a mentally unstable prima donna? The transfer to bring in Balotelli seems unreasonable, even at the cost of Robinho. Robinho is not on the same talent level of Balotelli, but he does offer consistency, however poor the quality of the end product may be. Balotelli might turn up for a game, and sulk for another five, which eventually nullifies all the talent vested in him.

Milan are in period of defining their core. Every transfer must be focused towards building a side that can form the identity of this great club for the next five years. Balotelli is young, and therefore could stake a claim at being a significant member of an important Milan side for the future. But history suggests his role in a squad cannot be that of indispensable starter. Be it at Inter or at City, Balotelli is more of a fringe player, whose success/failure has little impact on the eventual success/failure of the club. At Milan, Balotelli is likely to be depended on much more, than the other teams he has played in. Mario, clearly, lacks the mental strength and maturity to inherit this mantle, at least at this point in time.

Max Allegri has done a tremendous, unappreciated job of managing the egos of several nutters in the squad. But Balotelli could be one too many. He could be the one to rock the vessel, who finally disturbs the brim and spills the liquid. Milan, realistically, can house these many loose cannons. Anymore, and Milan would require a psychologist, not a football manager.

Mourinho rarely gives up on players. He gave up on Balotelli. That speaks volumes in itself. Balotelli is a risk an affluent club can take, without immensely depending on him. But Milan are not the Milan of old. Not anymore. Such risks could have crippling effects. Milan could lose a lot of money, and Balotelli, leading to the subsequent drop of his stock and valuation. It is a poor deal for club, and player, as I see it.