A former Manchester City kitman has revealed hilarious tales from Mario Balotelli‘s stint at the club, including the backstory to the Italian’s infamous ‘Why Always Me?’ shirt.
Balotelli, who now plays for Swiss Super League club Sion, spent three years at City and became renowned for his conduct both on and off the pitch.
From setting off fireworks inside in his own house to a long list of unpaid parking fines, the Italian was about as unpredictable as they come.
And, on a recent podcast, even more details about the striker’s habits in Manchester have been revealed – including the story surrounding his celebration against Man United in their famous 6-1 win at Old Trafford.
Appearing on the Ninety Three Twenty Podcast, ex-City kitman Les Chapman said: ‘Every morning we used to go to this little area at the back of the dressing rooms. There was this little area with a few tables where you could have a tea or coffee.
‘He’d have one my fags – I used to smoke then – and he’d probably have two cigarettes, one after the other. Never brought his own. He must have had 80 packets and 70 lighters but never got me one cigarette.
‘This particular day Mario took me around and said “I want this printed on my shirt, what do you think?” I said yeah I’ll print it up, but [I told him] you can’t have anything that’s offensive to United fans or anybody really.
‘He came out with one or two things and I said “No, Mario” and then he said “what about why always me?” As soon as he said it I thought that’s just about perfect and then I got in trouble after the game.
‘They wouldn’t let me print anymore shirts after that game because instead of just lifting his shirt up to there, he lifted it over his head and got booked so David Platt said “message from Mancini, don’t print anymore shirts”.
‘After five minutes it had gone global so Mario said to me “Get onto Umbro, we want commission on this stuff being sold”. So I rang Umbro and requested and they said “we can’t do anything about it”.
‘He came out with it and it’s the most ideal thing he could have said.’
Balotelli brandished the shirt during Man City’s 6-1 win over rivals Man United in the 2011-12 campaign.
The Italian scored twice in the game, including the opening goal, and celebrated it by looking unimpressed and revealing the message on an undershirt.
It came as a reponse to recent media reports surrounding the forward. Just one day before that match, Balotelli had made headlines for setting fireworks off in his home.
A friend of the millionaire footballer set off dozens of fireworks from ‘multi-shot barrage cannons’ in his first floor bathroom a decade ago, starting a serious blaze.
Later that week, the Italian forward was unveiled as Greater Manchester’s ambassador for firework safety.
It was an act that brought even more eyes to the Italian striker, who clashed with then manager Roberto Mancini on several occasions during his stint at the Etihad.
‘We played Dynamo Kyiv one night and he got sent off after about 20 minutes. So he’s gone in the dressing room and I’ve followed and he’s just sat there in front of his locker quietly,’ Chapman said.
‘The next 10 seconds Mancini stormed into the dressing room, swearing and screaming at the top of his voice in Italian expletives, waving his arms around like a man possessed and just going bezerk while the game’s going on.
‘He turned to go back out to the game and saw one of the players’ bags – [Costel] Pantilimon’s Louis Vuitton case – Mancini picked it up, turned and threw it at Balotelli’s head. Mario’s ducked and it’s the back of his locker.
‘Mancini’s run up to him again, screaming Italian expletives again and I’m thinking ‘Hit him, Mario’. I’d stepped in between them thinking it’s going to kick off. Then he just turned back and went to watch the game.
‘There was always something happening. He had fantastic ability but will never ever be a team player. In fact, I think the Aguero thing was his only assist.’
Chapman was referencing Sergio Aguero’s infamous title-winning goal against QPR in 2012, which Balotelli provided his only assist of the season for.
The Italian played a neat one-two with his Argentinian strike partner before the City legend rifled the ball past Paddy Kenny to secure a historic title for the club.
Chapman also told anecdotes from his time at the City training ground with Balotelli and revealed how the striker was dealt numerous fines when he was at the club.
He said: ‘I used to do tours of the training ground. And I can remember going in the dressing room with the first tour after Mario had left.
‘And I said to them, ‘This is Mario’s locker’. Opened the door and about 30 parking tickets fell out! And a wage slip. He’d been fined by the club, that month, £100,000.
‘He had his car impounded 27 times and owed Manchester City Council 10s of thousands of pounds when he left and I think the club paid it up for him.’
It was incident that racked up nearly £10,000 in parking fines for the Italian, who also had to pay out £300,000 in club fines for acts such as throwing darts at a youth team player.
Chapman also recalled the 2011 incident when police ‘stopped him in his first week at City’.
‘He had like £15,000 on the front seat,’ Chapman said.
‘He would train in diamond bracelets and necklaces. Came in after training once and lost his diamond earring. It cost him £10,000 but he wasn’t bothered. I went out on my hands and knees but never found it.’
Balotelli left City in 2013, with Mancini claiming he had fallen out with his team-mates.
He signed for AC Milan, where he scored 26 goals in 43 appearances, but failed to hold down a long-term role in the squad and he was quickly moved on.
Following stints in France, Italy and Turkey, he now finds himself in the Swiss first-division – where he’s scored five goals in 15 games.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
