Latest news with #MarioBalotelli
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Iconic club who Pep Guardiola played for booted out of the league after 114 years
FAMOUS Italian club Brescia have been booted out of the country's professional leagues for the first time in their 114-year history. The former Serie A side is now facing EXTINCTION due to financial problems and is close to declaring bankruptcy. Advertisement 3 Pep Guardiola's former club Brescia have been booted out of Italy's professional leagues 3 Roberto Baggio and Andrea Pirlo also played for Brescia, who now face extinction 3 Mario Balotelli is part of Brescia's impressive alumni page The Italian Football Federation - also knows as the FIGC - announced on Thursday that they The FIGC released the following statement: "The FIGC Federal Council takes note of the refusal to grant Brescia Calcio a national license for the 2025-2026 season and therefore to accept it to play the 2025-2026 Serie C season." Brescia started this season in Serie B but failed to pay debts of more than £2.5million. The Lombardy giants were promoted to Serie A in 2019 but were relegated the very next season. Advertisement Read More on Football Things went from bad to worse last term as they were deducted four points amid their financial woes, which saw them drop to Serie C. Rolando Maran's side initially managed to secure their place in Serie B as they finished 15th. However, Brescia were hit with an eight-point penalty - four for this past season and another four for the next one - due to administrative offences. That saw them drop to 18th place, which ultimately led to relegation to the third division. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Brescia are owned by Massimo Cellino , who was in charge of eight years ago. Cellino had a troubled tenure in Yorkshire and left amid fan protests and much discontent. Sean Dyche reveals what Pep Guardiola said to Steve Bruce about Lionel Messi that left him in tears Now Brescia are facing a very uncertain future that could see them disappear altogether. Advertisement This is a famous Italian club that has seen a raft of legendary players wear the jersey. That includes current Luca Toni, Marek Hamsik and Mario Balotelli.
Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Mario Balotelli set for 13th career transfer to surprise third tier club
Mario Balotelli is poised to leave Genoa after making just six appearances and is in talks over a move to Spanish third tier side Real Murcia ahead of his 35th birthday Former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli could be plying his trade in the Spanish third tier next season, with a swift exit from current side Genoa brewing. Balotelli has had a journeyman career since the early heights and could be about to drop down two divisions to find his 13th club. The 34-year-old joined Genoa in October on a contract until the end of the season and is poised to move after just six appearances for the Italian side. His deal expires on June 30 and reports in Spain say his agent is in talks with Real Murcia. Balotelli previously held talks over signing for CF Intercity – a third-division club based in Alicante – and a similar move is now in the offing. The striker's agents met with Murcia president Felipe Moreno in Madrid recently and a contract has been discussed with sporting director Asier Goiria. Murcia, based in south-eastern Spain, will be playing in the third division next season after suffering defeat in the promotion play-offs. They will be pushing for promotion to the second tier once again in 2025/26. The club have played 18 La Liga campaigns and hold the record for the most second-division titles with eight. But they haven't been in La Liga since 2008 and slipped to the fourth division in 2022 due to financial difficulties. The Murcia chiefs clearly think that adding the star power of Balotelli can make the difference after losing to Gimnastic de Tarragona in the play-off semi-finals following a second-place finish. Balotelli, who will turn 35 in August, has moved all around Europe, from Italy to Turkey, via England, France and Switzerland, but has never played in Spain. Murcia would be his 13th club after Lumezzane, Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Sion, Adana Demirspor and Genoa. He didn't make an impression at Genoa, where all six of his Serie A appearances came in November and December. Two yellow cards were the grand sum of his contributions, but a broken hand was to blame for the majority of the matches he missed. Balotelli was signed by Alberto Gilardino, only for the manager to be sacked just weeks later. His replacement, Patrick Vieira was less keen on Balotelli, having played together at Inter Milan and been together at Nice for a time too. Vieira froze Balotelli out, prompting a not-so-cryptic message on social media from the Italian striker. Posting a photo of himself inside the Genoa locker room, he wrote: "Someone around here would deserve to see not a mature Mario, but the rebellious 16-year-old Mario, maybe then they'd understand what it really means to disrespect someone like this." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scottish Sun
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Former Premier League winner Mario Balotelli, 34, set to complete free transfer to 13th club after release by Genoa
The club in question recently missed out on the chance to be promoted SHOW AND TELL Former Premier League winner Mario Balotelli, 34, set to complete free transfer to 13th club after release by Genoa Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARIO BALOTELLI is poised to plunge his career to new depths - by playing for a THIRD DIVISION club in Spain. The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker has won a Premier League title and 36 caps for Italy. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Mario Balotelli is in line to join a third division club in Spain Credit: Getty 2 The Italian made just six appearances for Genoa after joining last October Credit: Getty But Balotelli has endured a chequered career since leaving Anfield a decade ago, including spells with clubs in Turkey and Switzerland. The 34-year-old joined Italians Genoa last October, but will be released after making just six appearances. His agents have now opened talks with Real Murcia, who will remain in the Spanish third tier next season after losing in their promotion playoffs. Murcia president Felipe Moreno met Balotelli's advisors in Madrid recently, and went on to discuss the striker's signature with sporting director Asier Goiria. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL REVAMP Abandoned stadium that used to host England could be revived for Euro 2032 Moreno reportedly plans a fresh round of talks about a deal for Balotelli, who will be 35 next month. Murcia have spent 18 seasons in La Liga, most recently in the 2007-08 campaign, and have won a record eight second-tier titles. They play at the 31,000-capacity Estadio Nueva Condomina, and will be favourites for promotion next term. The south-eastern club finished second in the Primera Federacion Group 2, but lost in the play-off semis to Gimnastic de Tarragona. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Balotelli's madcap off-field antics have distracted from his undoubted playing ability throughout his career. But if the frontman lands a deal and applies himself, he could yet help Murcia show no mercy to their opponents in the new season.
The Irish Sun
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former Premier League winner Mario Balotelli, 34, set to complete free transfer to 13th club after release by Genoa
MARIO BALOTELLI is poised to plunge his career to new depths - by playing for a THIRD DIVISION club in Spain. The former 2 Mario Balotelli is in line to join a third division club in Spain Credit: Getty 2 The Italian made just six appearances for Genoa after joining last October Credit: Getty But Balotelli has endured a chequered career since leaving Anfield a decade ago, including spells with clubs in Turkey and Switzerland. The 34-year-old His agents have now opened talks with Real Murcia, who will remain in the Spanish third tier next season after losing in their promotion playoffs. Murcia president Felipe Moreno met Balotelli's advisors in Madrid recently, and went on to discuss the striker's signature with sporting director Asier Goiria. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Moreno reportedly plans a fresh round of talks about a deal for Balotelli, who will be 35 next month. Murcia have spent 18 seasons in La Liga, most recently in the 2007-08 campaign, and have won a record eight second-tier titles. They play at the 31,000-capacity Estadio Nueva Condomina, and will be favourites for promotion next term. The south-eastern club finished second in the Primera Federacion Group 2, but lost in the play-off semis to Gimnastic de Tarragona. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Balotelli's madcap off-field antics have distracted from his undoubted playing ability throughout his career. But if the frontman lands a deal and applies himself, he could yet help Murcia show no mercy to their opponents in the new season. Mario Balotelli shows off skills in brilliant game
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Baller League Legends ratings: John Arne Riise and Balotelli shine but Arsenal cult hero gets a 1/10
MOUSSA DEMBELE is perhaps best known for being the toughest opponent your favourite player has ever faced - or the player who was the best any ex-Spurs star has ever seen. So when he was announced to be playing at the O2 Arena alongside Mario Balotelli, Ravel Morrison and John Arne Riise, fans came flocking. 6 The former pros lined up against KSI, Chunkz, George Clarkey and more in what was a spectacular Legends vs Influencers match decided by Niko Omilana missing a crucial penalty. SunSport's LLOYD CANFIELD rated the legendary players performances… JENS LEHMANN - 1 Unfortunately age catches up with all of us, and it seems to have done so with once-invincible goalkeeper. Failed to stop a number of shots that he got a hand to, but the 55-year-old was simply too slow to react to most of them - though one admittedly was a screamer from EmanSV2. PASCAL CHIMBONDA - 5 Didn't blow any minds with his performance, but wasn't really poor either. Pretty standard showing from the Barclaysman defender who would've been a blast from the past for most watching. 6 JOHN ARNE RIISE - 10 Wow! He's still got that left foot rocket in his locker, let's just say that. Hit the crossbar with a thunderbolt from range which alerted the keeper, before crashing home a screamer in the dying moments to level the scoring and send the game to penalties. Textbook Riise - Liverpool can save themselves a pretty penny on signing Milos Kerkez and just bring this beast back instead. LUKE CHAMBERS - 5 Much the same as Pascal Chimbonda, Chambers didn't really stand out what so ever and was largely overshadowed by the bigger names on the pitch. Mostly forgettable. JAY-JAY OKOCHA - 7 Scored a classy header that was unfortunately ruled out by the referee, it was the same Okocha we saw against Arsenal all those years ago - just much older. A legend of the game who still gave it his all and tried to entertain the crowd with a few silky touches and delicate passes. Didn't have the pace or engine he once possessed, but still impressed overall. MOUSSA DEMBELE - 9 The man of the moment looked like he still had it, running the show in the middle of the park for his time. You could still see echoes of the player he once was, impossible to get the ball away from and such a powerful presence with the ball at his feet. Dominated for large parts of the game and still had the silky feet and ability to pick a pass that he always had. 6 RAVEL MORRISON - 5 The ex- Manchester United wonderkid probably would've had a better rating were it not for the brilliance either side of him. Good on the ball and came close with a header that was flicked towards goal. Didn't blow anyone's socks off, but it was a solid performance from the former Red Devil. LEE TRUNDLE - 4 The highlight of his showing was sending KSI tumbling to the floor after a collision, but it must be said he gave it his all pulling off some of his trademark skills. The Football League cult hero was an entertaining watch, but didn't seem to have the end product or cutting edge he needed to get the better of the Influencer defenders all that often. MARIO BALOTELLI - 8 The man that most were excited to see, it was just a pleasure to see Super Mario back on the pitch with a ball at his feet. The ex- Liverpool and Manchester City striker still had a bit too, with some silky touches and passes, and a goal to boot! There was no trademark celebration or boasting from a man who has clearly matured since his playing days - but a showing more reminiscent of a classy Italian midfielder. Stuck around and took pictures with fans and players alike, which was lovely to see.
