Mario Balotelli called by Italy
Inter’s teenage star Mario Balotelli has received his first Italian call-up as he is included in Pierluigi Casiraghi’s Under-21 squad.
Balotelli officially became an Italian citizen on August 12 when he turned 18 and he had hoped to be called up for the Azzurri’s friendly against Austria.
But the former Lumezzane marksman has had to settle for selection in Casiraghi’s squad to face Greece and Croatia in European Championship qualifiers.
Casiraghi is trying to get back on track after the disappointment of the Olympic Games where Italy were knocked out by Belgium in the quarter-finals.
The other new faces in the Azzurrini squad are Roma centre-back Marco Andreolli and young Fiorentina goalkeeper Andrea Seculin.
The group will meet at the Hilton Hotel near Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Tuesday September 2 before travelling to their camp in Castel Di Sangro.
They face Greece on September 5 there before travelling to Croatia on September 9. (c4)
Balotelli: “The best day ever”
Mario Balotelli is now officially an Italian citizen after this morning’s ceremony at the town hall in Concesio, Brescia province. The Inter striker answered questions from journalists shortly after the ceremony. This is what he had to say:
Mario Balotelli, from this morning you are an Italian citizen in every respect…
“I had been waiting for this moment for a long time. I’m thrilled.”
Are you more moved today than when you made your Serie A debut?
“I’m much more moved today than on the day of my Serie A debut.”
In recent days you said that as an 18th birthday present you wanted to win the Champions League or earn a call-up to the Italian national team. Marcello Lippi will announce his squad in the next few days. Are you expecting a call-up as a present?
“Yes. It would be the best present I could receive.”
Even more than the Champions League?
“It’s pointless to make comparisons like these. The national team is something you feel inside yourself. It’s superior to everything.”
Your mother said she has been through some difficult times over the years.
“Yes. Life in Italy is much harder for a foreigner than for an Italian. I could give you many examples, like when you’re forced to stand in endless queues to get into the offices of the police headquarters. I did it once with my mother and once was enough for me. She has done it tens of times for me. It’s not a nice thing, knowing that I was born in Italy and had never lived outside Italy. But this is certainly one of the minor inconveniences.”
What season are you expecting to have at Inter?
“Inter are very strong this year. I’m expecting to have a season like last year, and besides the league I also hope to win both the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.”
How is your relationship with José Mourinho, your new coach at Inter?
“I have the same relationship as the rest of my team-mates. A normal relationship. He’s a very good coach who talks a lot with the players, and we’re all happy with him.”
They say that Mourinho pays special attention to you…
“Maybe because I’m the youngest in the squad, but he tells me off when I make mistakes, just like he does with all the others.”
From a tactical point of view are you still getting used to playing in wide position in a 4-3-3?
“Wherever the coach plays me, it’s fine by me. I had already played on the wing last season. I still have to improve a few movements, but I adapt without any problems.”
Did you receive any special birthday messages from any of your team-mates yesterday?
“They all wished me Happy Birthday, both to me and Paolo Orlandoni who has the same birthday as me. Me and him brought the pastries and we all celebrated together.”
Did you think about changing team at any point during the summer?
“No. I had a contract for several years and I certainly couldn’t say I wanted to join one club rather than another. I had a contract with Inter and I’m happy to have stayed here, and I always knew I would stay.”
You have some important objectives: the national team, the Champions League. Why not think about winning the Ballon d’Or too?
“That is every player’s top target, together with the World Cup. It’s hard, there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Who do you get on best with in the squad?
“I have always said that I get on well with everyone, on and off the pitch.”
Which of your team-mates do you watch most closely in order to ’steal’ a few secrets of the trade?
“I watch all of them because they are all true phenomenons.”
Has Lippi called you yet. Are you curious to meet him?
“I have already met him. It was in Viareggio when I was playing in the Carnival Cup with the Primavera.”
What was your impression?
“He seemed just like any other person. He was walking, I was walking.”
What is the nicest present you received for your birthday?
“The nicest one would be a call-up to the national team.”
Is your idol still Ronaldo?
“Ronaldo is the number one.” (OIS)
Happy Birthday to Mario Balotelli
Happy Birthday to Mario Balotelli. The young striker, born in Palermo on 12 August 1990, celebrates his 18th birthday today.
Balotelli: “No dreams, just goals!”
Inter striker Mario Balotelli has revealed his ambitions for the season - he’s aiming to lift the Champions League trophy and earn himself a call-up from Marcello Lippi.
The Nerazzurri star has raised eyebrows over the last year, but insists he’s ready to prove himself to both Jose Mourinho at Inter and the Italian national team.
However, Balotelli is keeping his feet firmly on the ground and he insists he only has objectives rather than dreams.
“I would like to win the Champions League with Inter and play for La Nazionale,” Balotelli told Calcio 2000.
“I don’t think that Italy will overlook the younger players when there is quality. However, you never know; it’s up to the coach in the end.
“I know Lippi said he would be choosing players between 18-40 years old but it all depends on how I play as well.
When the ambitious player was asked if he could one day be world player of the year, he said: “It’s no dream, it’s an objective.”
Balotelli has recently been given full Italian citizenship, making him eligible for a call up to the national side.
The striker is one of Italy’s hottest prospects and a good option for Lippi for the fast-approaching world cup qualifiers. (Goal)