Liverpool
striker Mario Balotelli insists there will be no more fireworks off the
pitch - and says that anyone who thinks he has sex just before a match
is having a laugh.
The
Italy striker is more famous for his off-field antics than his exploits
on the pitch, and the most notorious incident was when fireworks were
let off in his bathroom.
Balotelli said: 'I have done mistakes in the past, like everybody did when they were young.
Mario Balotelli prepares to fly out to Basle with Liverpool - and a fan sporting the same haircut stands behind
Balotelli with former girlfriend Fanny Neguesha in Miami Beach earlier this year
Mario Balotelli admits he needs to improve his goalscoring record of one goal in eight Liverpool appearances
Balotelli was speaking in an exclusive interview with Sport Magazine
'And
the firework thing did happen, but it wasn't me who let it off. I know
England is like this, though, so it's OK. It's a shame, sure, but I get
used to it – the newspapers are always trying to give an image of Mario
that is bad, printing things that aren't true.
'Off
the pitch, really I don't have any problems because I am always home.
When people speak bad about me, it's only because they listen to the
media and read what the newspapers say. They maybe lose a little bit of
focus on my football, so everybody thinks I am famous for what happens
outside the pitch.'
He told Sport magazine: 'Someone
told me recently that I had apparently said that if I have sex three or
four hours before a game, it is working for me on the pitch. Trust me,
if I am having sex four hours before a game I am not able to play. I
don't think anyone could. It makes me laugh, but this is not me.
'I
am only focused on football. I live out in the countryside, I am
relaxed and I just hope the time that I'm going to score is coming soon.
Then maybe they will concentrate more on football and not all the other
bull****.'
To that end, Balotelli believes Brendan Rodgers's strength of character can help him make a success of his Liverpool career.
The
Italy international said he was surprised by the quality in Liverpool's
squad when he signed and has admitted that he is desperate to score his
first Premier League goal for the club.
The
striker has had the international break to focus solely on his club
form after being dropped by the new Italy head coach, Antonio Conte, and
says he is determined to repay the faith shown to him by the Liverpool
supporters.
Balotelli (second left) scored Liverpool's opener in their 2-1 Champions League win against Ludogorets
Daniel Sturridge (right) is expected to feature alongside Balotelli against QPR after returning from a thigh injur
Asked
about playing under Rodgers, Balotelli said: 'He is very good, a strong
character, and I think that comes out in the way the team plays.
'I
think he can help me improve as a player. He is very open, everybody
can talk to him, but first he looks at the person, and second he looks
at the footballer. With Brendan, you need to be a good person – you
don't have to be, how do you say it, a d***head.
'I
need to get in the box more. I don't do it enough, but it is something I
am working to try to do more. I have never been a real, out-and-out
striker – I have always been someone who goes around the pitch, you
know?
'If
it was my choice, I would always go with two strikers. It's the way I
like to play, but Brendan asked me to play as the first striker. I
understand that when the ball comes from wide on the left or right, I
need to be in the box otherwise there might be no-one there at all.
'I
can see already that the Liverpool fans really like me, although I know
that maybe they are a little upset because I don't score. I see they
appreciate that I am working hard, though, which is nice for me.'
Balotelli added: 'I didn't really know much about the club before coming here, but I've been really surprised.
'I
knew they were a very good team, but I didn't know they were as good as
they are. Of course we need to improve many things because we have
started off not very good, but I think the players here are amazing.'
Balotelli
said his current objective is to break his Premier League duck. 'I can
see already that the Liverpool fans really like me, although I know that
maybe they are a little upset because I don't score.
'I
see they appreciate that I am working hard, though, which is nice for
me. I know I have one goal in the Champions League, but in the Premier
League I have to start with one. After that, I might set myself a
target, but I swear – right now my first league goal is my first and
only objective.
'I
need to get in the box more. I don't do it enough, but it is something I
am working to try to do more. I have never been a real, out-and-out
striker – I have always been someone who goes around the pitch, you
know?
'If
it was my choice, I would always go with two strikers. It's the way I
like to play, but Brendan asked me to play as the first striker. I
understand that when the ball comes from wide on the left or right, I
need to be in the box otherwise there might be no one there at all.'
Balotelli
also compared Steven Gerrard to his fellow Italian Andrea Pirlo:
'Gerrard is an amazing player. I had really not seen much of him before
this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at
the same level as Pirlo.
Balotelli posted an Instagram picture of himself in a shark hoodie on Wednesday
'Vision,
technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It's
going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him
in the future.'
Balotelli
is settling on Merseyside but misses his pet dogs who are back home in
Italy; a labrador-pitbull cross Lucky, who lives in with the star's
foster parents and his other dog, a rottweiler called Tyson, he said:
'If I say kiss, then she kisses me.
'Of
course I miss my family and friends in Italy. But when I go back, I
spend hours talking with my parents. Then I visit my friends and we do
normal stuff – you know, playing PlayStation and ping pong. Then I pick
up my dogs and we go for a walk.
'They
are really clever, my dogs. Lucky is unbelievable – when you look into
her face, it is like you are with a real person. When I speak, she
listens. I only have to say things one time. If I ask her for her paw,
she gives it to me. I ask her to sit, she sits; I say she can run, she
runs. Everything I ask her to do, she does.'
Balotelli with his dog Lucky, who lives with the star's foster parents in Ital
No comments:
Post a Comment