For the umpteenth international break since last appearing for his country during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Mario Balotelli is doing his own thing as his compatriots pull on the Azzurri jersey. Yet, unlike most of these breaks spent kicking around in the international wilderness, widely regarded as an outlier incapable of fulfilling his potential, this time the Balotelli question feels sharply pertinent. Italy’s forward options are not the most inspiring, and a few miles along from the coast of Liguria, in the south of France, Balotelli’s goal blaze is firing the imagination.
This complex, sometimes maddening, spark of powerful attacking talent has been reignited at Nice. After a couple of fruitless seasons where his career stalled at Liverpool and on loan at Milan, Balotelli has been busy reminding critics why, on ability alone, he should be towards the front of any queues for an attacking berth for his country. It is early days, and the debate still needs to tilt further in his favour, but if his eye-catching start to life in Nice goes on, Giampiero Ventura may have to open the door to a recall for the kid who had it all but somehow lost it along the way.
Continue reading...from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2dzHoFk
