Mario Balotelli’s personal trainer, Stefano Mazzoldi, has expressed high hopes for the striker’s performance at his new club, Genoa. Mazzoldi, who has been working with Balotelli for the past five months at the Equipe Training Lab in Brescia, believes the former Italian international is ready to make a significant impact, as he explained to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Balotelli? He must reach double figures, at least 10 goals,” Mazzoldi stated confidently. He detailed their intensive training regimen, which included field work, gym sessions, and constant exercises, all while Balotelli waited for Genoa to finalize his signing.
Describing their collaboration, Mazzoldi said, “We met 5 months ago. Previously, he was working with another trainer. I was already training his brother Enock, who brought him along one day. Our last training session together was on Saturday.”
Mazzoldi praised Balotelli’s character, stating, “From the outside, he might seem abrasive, but Mario has a big heart. Seeing each other 4-5 times a week for 5 months, we’ve built a relationship of trust and friendship.”
Regarding Balotelli’s current physical condition, Mazzoldi was optimistic: “Muscularly, he’s in very good shape. Of course, he doesn’t have match rhythm, but he can easily play for half an hour or 45 minutes.”
The trainer also highlighted Balotelli’s mental readiness: “He’s super charged, he has a crazy desire to start again: I’ve seen him enthusiastic. He has so much desire and mentally he’s very strong: training for 5 months without the certainty of restarting is not for everyone.”
Mazzoldi was particularly impressed with Balotelli’s technical skills, especially his shooting ability. “I work with many footballers, but I’ve never seen anyone kick like he does. He shoots differently, he makes the balls burst. He told me that he trained this fundamental skill a lot at Inter, staying an extra hour to practice shooting with Mihajlovic and Recoba.”
Looking ahead to Balotelli’s potential debut, Mazzoldi said, “Gilardino will definitely put him in. And Mario will give a nice shock.” He also expressed his newfound support for Genoa, stating, “I follow Inter, but in these weeks I’ve heard from hundreds of Genoa fans on social media asking about Mario. I’ll be cheering for Genoa.”
Mazzoldi is confident about Balotelli’s future performance: “It will go well, I’m certain. Balotelli can only do better than who’s already there. He’s super charged. The only risk is wanting to conquer the world too quickly.”
When asked about goal expectations, Mazzoldi set a clear target: “He must reach double figures. At least 10. I expect him to give a lot, he has many games available. If not, our 5 months of work wouldn’t make sense. He wants to play for another 2-3 years: the mind does everything.”
