absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful attempt at goal he made against the Galaxy. Substituted immediately for it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2018344/Mario-Balotelli-embarrassing-backheel-earns-early-substitution.html

What a prick

I thought it was hilarious. Best thing about it was he missed by quite some margin.

Haha start checking the rivals thread people! I posted the Arsenal OG from yesterday there and this incident too, no need to start new threads!

However, it is damn funny how that all went down.

Of all the stupid things he's done I wouldn't put this in near the top. Silly perhaps, but it was a friendly and he probably wanted to show off.

On the other hand, his facial expression did seem a bit sulky so perhaps he was just in a bad mood and couldn't care whether he played or not.

I still think he's a c*nt though.

Aren't clowns supposed to try to entertain and that's what he does so what's the problem

Massive overreaction here. So Balotelli tried to be flash and messed it up. So he looks a twat. However, as previously mentioned, it was only a friendly. If he'd done that in the Premiership, costing Man City the game, then Mancini may have been correct to haul him off. But listen to him today:

"You have to be always professional, always serious". That's it then. Football isn't a game, it's a serious business, and fun just doesn't come into it.

As for disrespectful, if he'd have done that against us I'd have been over the moon. But in a friendly? Who honestly cares. Well actually if he'd have done it agaist us, I'd have laughed myself silly. Wouldn't you? There's a kind of desperation from the commentators. They might as well be telling us: "hey you can't do that against us, we're a proper football team, we really are. You HAVE to take us seriously".

Right. But it wasn't a serious (that word again) competitive match, it was just a friendly.

One more question: What if the ball had ended up in the back of the net?

I totally agree Hutch all he done was to use a friendly to try out something a bit flashy. If it had gone in it would have been hailed as a wonder goal.

I didn't see anything dissrespectful in it either, he didn't dance round their entire defence, pull the keepers pant down and smack his arse before stopping the ball getting down on his hands and knees and heading it over the line.

People need to get some perspective and stop reacting because of who the player is.

agreed...friendlies are dull affairs and as long as someone isn't doing it all game, I think there is nothing wrong with trying a bit of skill...he nearly pulled it off...I'd rather watch him play than gareth barry...for me mancini's over-reaction summed up what he is turning the expensively assembled city squad into...a bunch of robots

Both of you hit the nail on the head. Castigate Balotelli for everything else he's done, but not this.

It was a friendly and Man City were leading- and besides, he now says he heard an offside whistle. Mancini was massaging his own ego by subbing him, he's a control freak.

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On a separate tack, I honestly think that the media, fans and Mancini himself go too far with this whole "flawed genius" label foisted on Balotelli. It plays straight into Balotelli's victim mentality and worsens the problem, and I think Mancini is trying to placate his own ego by wanting to be "the one who 'tamed' Balotelli'. It is just the other side of the coin to those who pander to him (eg. agents) and tell him what he wants to hear and of course to the media, a pantomime villain is a journalistic cash cow.

He really needs someone to speak to him honestly, empathically and openly, not people trying to mould him for their own gain. He is only 21 years old.

Treat him as a human being and not as a circus animal and maybe he will stop behaving so erratically.

I think its hilarious, and shows just how hypocritical some can be. the game is crying out for characters, then when one comes along he gets hammered. Was it really any different to Benayouns goal the other weak? Was that taking the piss too? He could easily have taken the ball down and just slid it past the keeper also.

How about just a little respect Mr. Balotelli?

What a goof - there's no reason to boo him or cast him out for one act of goofery in a game. At the end of the day it's the player's choice as to whether or not they want to try something flashy. If they pull it off they're geniuses, and if they f**k up then it's on them. A slap round the head and a few disappointed head-shakes should have done the trick.

Yeahyeahyeah, but I can still snigger, can't I? Please?

Legend, knows how to enjoy...

I n all fairness tho if you watched the right stream on youtube a whistle did go off right before he backheeled it.

Edited July 25, 201114 yr by isosap

What a total tosser, completely arrogant.

So he tried something fancy and it didn't work? Who cares? If Drogba had done that would you think it was arrogant and disgraceful? Massive overreaction from everyone involved.

Massive overreaction here.

One more question: What if the ball had ended up in the back of the net?

Then he'd have been lauded like his gaffer:

Then he'd have been lauded like his gaffer:

Im sorry but this is completely different. I have since changed my view on this whole balotelli incident just because after a few watchings I do believe he was thought he was offside. Just for arguments sake though he knew he was onside and attempted that I just dont see what that has to do with mancinis goal, Mancinis goal, whilst an outrageous attempt and a fantastic piece of skill he had no other play on the ball there than to do something crazy like that. Similar to Rooneys goal against city last year.

I absolutely love it when players try audacious pieces of skill but this attempt at goal isnt audacious its just ridiculous (still assuming that he thought he was onside)