Cesare Prandelli, former Italy national team coach, has shared his thoughts on Mario Balotelli’s return to Serie A with Genoa. Prandelli, who worked closely with Balotelli during the 2012 Euros and 2014 World Cup, offered insights into the striker’s potential comeback.
Regarding Balotelli’s readiness, Prandelli commented, “Ready? Who can say… Let’s hope so, but it’s no joke given the speed of today’s game. The fitness coach says he has 35/40 minutes, no more, but that’s still a lot. The beautiful thing is that everyone has suddenly become Mario’s fan. And I’ve never heard him so charged, so powerfully determined to return.”
Prandelli emphasized the critical nature of this opportunity for Balotelli: “Mario has had his share of last chances, but I believe there won’t be any more after this one. Now is not the time for talk; he must be judged by what he does on the field. He needs to understand that this last chance is the most important for him to be remembered.”
Reflecting on Balotelli’s past performances, Prandelli reminisced, “If I look back to 2012, I see one of the world’s top four or five players in terms of technique, personality, power, passing accuracy, and confidence. He had everything. Perhaps this ‘everything’ came too quickly, and he wasn’t ready to manage it. Popularity conditioned him, and unfortunately, the persona overshadowed the player.”
Prandelli also shared personal insights into Balotelli’s character: “Mario is a sensitive person, good-hearted. No one wishes him ill. Yes, sometimes he made me angry, and the frustration was there because we felt we had something extraordinary in our hands, but time was passing…”
The former coach recalled a conversation with Balotelli: “One evening we were at Coverciano, me, my assistant Lele Pin, Antonio Cassano, and him. Mario kept saying, ‘I’m as good as Ronaldo.’ And I said, ‘Look, Mario, there’s at least one difference between you and Ronaldo…’ I explained that Ronaldo would go into the penalty area forty-five times a game, and he only six. That made it difficult to score the same number of goals.”
In his final thoughts, Prandelli expressed hope for Balotelli’s success: “Genoa is struggling, I hope Mario gives them a big hand. We’re all rooting for Balo. I’d tell him: Mario, show your motivation every day. And I’d repeat it endlessly.”
