The Time English Football's Hothead Confronted A School Bully

You may be thinking, why suddenly bring up soccer player Mario Balotelli? After hearing just a little bit about him, though, you may find yourself thinking: why ever talk about anything other than Mario Balotelli?

Though the former Manchester City and Italian international, currently playing for AC Monza, has in his time been a part of the world's biggest football teams, he is probably better known for what he did off the pitch than on it. He seems to have a talent for making trouble wherever he goes, leaving the club to clear up the mess afterwards.

After three years with one of Europe's most popular teams, Inter Milan, he transferred to EFL club Manchester City in 2010. It would be there he would gain far greater attention, with his his exuberant goal celebrations (seen in the below clip) and out-of-hours antics making him a favorite of fans and the press alike.

Out of public view, Balotelli reportedly had an extensive streak of eccentricities, seemingly with disregard for anyone and anything. Edited highlights include burning down his bathroom the night before a match, sword fighting with rolling pins in a restaurant and throwing darts at members of City's youth team.

While there he showed quite severe disregard for those youngsters' well being, another report showed him turning true humanitarian for the young.

The very best tale of his time in Manchester was reported to have happened during early May of 2011. Leaving a training session, Balotelli was approached by a woman and her son, who wanted his autograph. Being the middle of the day, he asked the young fan why he wasn't in school, to which the boy responded that problems with a bully had become so severe he was no longer going in.

Enraged, the striker drove them both to the school in his Maserati and had the boy point out the bully, whom he then reportedly went right up to and said that enough was enough. He would not leave until he had some assurance from the head teacher this would not be happening again and the bully, presumably scared out of his mind at having of one of the world's most volatile footballers telling him off, made up with his victim.

A great gesture from Balotelli, but it also shows Balotelli's impulsiveness and how fast he is act on emotion and instinct. His club found that as they tried to reign in Balotelli until his disciplinary record, increasing number of fines from the league and losing matches by missing extravagant, showboating attempts on goal proved too much for them.

He was handed over to AC Milan before he made his way back to the Premier League the following season, signing with Liverpool. Seeing a repeat of his behaviour while with Manchester, Liverpool dealt him back to Milan after making just sixteen appearances for the team.

Wanting to finally have him focus on football, the Italian team included certain caveats in his second contract. It spelled the end of his extravagant hairstyles, at least while he was playing in Milan. His wardrobe would also be restricted, as would his intake of anything alcoholic and he was banned from smoking, tobacco or otherwise.

From 2016 onwards he played for a number of different teams in Italy and France. Joining one of these clubs, Brescia, came with another strange incident, but where he was not the one at fault. After agreeing to terms with the team, Balotelli was delayed in officially signing apparently as the owner refuses to do business on the seventeenth of any month, a date considered unlucky in Italy.

He did sign the day after and played nineteen times for Brescia before being released for repeatedly missing training sessions amid a dispute that he was being withheld pay from the club.

Balotelli's personality has made him a popular character but also made the target of fan animosity, some of which taking on the form of racism. Not one to allow himself to become victimised, Balotelli has regularly taken a firm stance against racism whenever it rears its ugly head. He has called out spectators who directed racist chants at him, even threatening to walk off after hearing it repeatedly in the stands.

That is the story of Mario Balotelli, a man not to take anything lying down. Not bullying, not racism, not the urge to smoke, drink or set fire to his bathroom. It is what he is best remembered for and what will endure his legacy in the sport he is otherwise capable of.