Mario Balotelli Returns to Serie A – Will Genoa’s Gamble Pay Off?

It’s been a busy decade for one of Italian football’s most polarizing and recognizable names. Mario Balotelli’s return to Serie A has propelled Genoa into the footballing press. It’s also garnered significant interest from the rest of the footballing community, who are eager to see what Super Mario has left to offer in Italy’s top flight.

Over the last four years, Mario has spent two spells in Turkey with Adana Demirspor, scoring 25 goals in 49 appearances for the Turkish outfit, including an outrageous goal nominated for the Puskas Award in 2022. Wedged in the middle of these two spells was a trip to Switzerland to lead the line for Sion, where he didn’t quite hit the same numbers, scoring six goals in 18 games.

Genoa fans will hope that the man, once considered one of the most promising young talents in world football, can reshape their fortunes and help them escape the dangerous territory they currently find themselves in.

Most sportsbooks have Genoa at around 6/4 to get relegated this season — which are worrying odds for fans at Marassi. The newest sportsbooks have a range of Balotelli-based markets that bettors can sink their teeth into, but the main aim of bringing the ex-Italian international on board will be to steer them clear of the drop.

Can Mario Succeed at Genoa?

Genoa fans will hope the answer to this question is a resounding yes. It does feel like the problems go deeper at Marassi, though, and bringing a character like Balotelli into the dressing room usually goes one of two polarizing ways. He’s not the type of player clubs look for if they’re trying to bring cohesion and balance to the dressing room.

Balotelli’s contract is short as it only lasts until the end of this season. Former coach Alberto Gilardino has likely weighed the positives and negatives of having Balotelli in the dressing room, but it will be up to the newly-appointed Patrick Vieira to try to get the best out of him. Balotelli is arriving on a free transfer and bringing in him surely is a gamble. If it pays off, it will look like a stroke of genius.

On the contrary, if Genoa end up going down at the end of this season, then a lot of focus will be on the decision to bring such a disruptive player in the twilight of his career into the Rossoblù camp.

Balotelli has buckets of ability, proven in several fleeting moments during his time playing for the Italian national side, Manchester City and Liverpool. He has made no secret of his drive to return to Serie A at various points this year; perhaps he sees this as a last chance to rewind the years to give Genoa fans some excitement and dig them out of the hole they have found themselves in.

Early Impressions

Mario started where he left off, picking up a yellow card just five minutes into his Genoa debut. Well, it wasn’t a full debut; he came off the bench in the 86^th minute only to pick up a yellow card against Parma and make a minimal impact on the game.

In Mario’s defense, it’s hard to get up to speed with the game if you only have four minutes to make an impact, but picking up a yellow is not the headline he would’ve been after. However, Genoa scored a last-minute equalizer against Como, which could be a decisive point against another team currently languishing in Serie A. However, again, Balotelli’s impact was minimal.

Look, we’re not throwing the book at him here. We don’t expect him to set the league alight after two games, especially now that his career is on a downward trajectory. However, Genoa fans hope he can chalk up more goals and assists than yellow cards, which would be a reasonable request.

Is it a Positive for Serie A?

Balotelli’s return has garnered intrigue from the international footballing press. While he was banging in goals in Turkey at an impressive rate, the league doesn’t get the juices flowing for many European football correspondents.

Serie A is different, and it’s also a big story because Mario has returned after spending the last decade testing himself at some of Europe’s most successful teams. From an entertainment perspective, Serie A fans will be keen to see what Mario gets up to and whether he can rediscover the vein of form that made him such a global football star in the early 2010s.

Anything that brings more attention and viewing figures to the league can’t be viewed as a negative by the Italian footballing community, so yes, we’d say it is a positive.

Final thoughts

With the greatest respect to Genoa, Balotelli’s arrival there on a free transfer does have last-chance saloon vibes. That’s not to say he can’t be successful there, but he has proven time and time again throughout his career that he lacks the drive and enthusiasm to pull his weight. Several former managers and players have dismissed him as arrogant and lazy.

It’s unlikely he can iron out these character flaws at this late stage of his career. However, for a character as unpredictable as Balotelli, it’s usually the polar opposite of what we expect from him that actually comes to fruition — it will be an interesting few months for Genoa fans.

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