When it comes to larger than life characters in football, it's fair to say that they aren't many around like Mario Balotelli anymore.
The Italian was a maverick both on and off the pitch. He was hugely talented, with various big clubs giving him the opportunity to perform at the highest level. While he clearly had the talent to do so, his moodiness and care free attitude he never came anywhere close to meeting his full potential.
Tales of his antics during his everyday life have been well documented, but it seems as though even his own teammates were not safe when it came to being embarrassed by the striker.
Micah Richard once took very bad advice from Mario Balotelli
Micah Richards spent a few seasons with Mario Balotelli at Manchester City, with the pair getting along well. In fact, Richards was close enough to him to ask for a bit of advice after he joined Italian club Fiorentina.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he recalled that after asking his former teammate for a bit of advice on the local lingo, it led to a rather embarrassing first encounter with his new manager.
When you join a club abroad, don't ask @FinallyMario for advice on speaking to the new manager 😅@MicahRichards had to find out the hard way... pic.twitter.com/bUlOWLzmVL
— The Rest Is Football (@RestIsFootball) September 7, 2023
I went to Fiorentina on the last day of the transfer window. Obviously, I don't speak Italian...
Like the absolute idiot that I am, I spoke to [Mario] Balotelli to ask what I should say when I'm speaking to someone. He's normally good with that.
I go and meet the manager, [Vincenzo] Montella. I go up to, shake his hand, and say 'testa di cazzo'. I think it means 'you fucking dickhead'.
That's the first time I've told this story...
Balotelli set me up, he caught me a kipper. To be fair to Montella, he just started laughing.
Micah Richards would feature in ten Serie A games during his time at Fiorentina, meaning he didn't pick up much more of that language.
Thanks to Mario Balotelli, at least he will always remember one particular phrase.
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