Balotelli has left Anfield today for a year long loan at former club Milan
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has completed his year long loan move to Milan.
As a club, and Liverpool fans, all we can say is: we tried. Just like many other club’s before us, we tried.
We tried to get excited when he arrived; a true maverick of the sport, with a reputation for brilliance but more so for laziness. And we tried to enjoy him and work with his idiosyncrasies but ultimately, he is a veteran of five clubs (with AC Milan his second attempt) before 26 for a reason.
Balotelli seems destined for that group of players for whom people always wonder ‘what might have been’ and, as he completes his loan move back to Milan, it is a question that we may ask ourselves in years to come.
Sadly, the initial reaction is relief.
Relief that those idiosyncrasies will no longer be our problem; that bizarre behaviour will no longer be a talking point for us and, after a good start to the season, we can get on with the business of football.
We wish you well on your return to Milan, Mario. Don’t waste this chance.
