Lumezzane Balotelli began his career at local side Lumezzane, twenty minutes from the Balotelli residence in Concesio. At age 15, he was promoted to the first team, making his first team debut in a
Serie C1 league match against
Padova on 2 April 2006.
Inter Milan Having had an unsuccessful trial with
Barcelona at age 15, Balotelli was signed by
Inter Milan in 2006 on loan with a pre-set price of €150,000 to
co-own the player. In June 2007, Inter exercised the option and purchased the other half for an additional €190,000. He made his first team and
Serie A debut on 16 December 2007, replacing
David Suazo in a 2–0 win against
Cagliari. Three days later, he was featured in the starting lineup in a
Coppa Italia match against
Reggina, scoring two goals in a 4–1 win. Balotelli gained national attention after he scored two goals against
Juventus in the return leg of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, being instrumental in a 3–2 away win for Inter. His first Serie A goal then came in April 2008 in a 2–0 away win against
Atalanta. Inter went on to win the
2007–08 Serie A. Balotelli was a substitute in the
2008 Supercoppa Italiana final against
Roma, coming on as a replacement for
Luís Figo and scoring in the 83rd minute. Inter went on to win the final 6–5 on penalties after the match ended 2–2. In November 2008, Balotelli became the youngest Inter player (at 18 years and 85 days) to score in the
UEFA Champions League when he scored a goal in a 3–3 draw against Cypriot side
Anorthosis Famagusta, beating the previous record set by
Obafemi Martins (at 18 years and 145 days). In an April 2009 match with Juventus where he scored Inter's only goal in a 1–1 draw, Balotelli was
racially abused by Juventus fans throughout the match. This led Inter owner
Massimo Moratti to say he would have pulled the team off the pitch had he been present. The
racist chants were also condemned by Juventus chairman
Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, and Juventus were issued a one-match home-fan ban because of the incident. Inter won Serie A for the fourth time in a row. In his second season with Inter, Balotelli had several disciplinary problems, most notably involving head coach
José Mourinho, who excluded him from the first team in the second half of January 2009. Earlier that season, Mourinho had accused Balotelli of showing a lack of effort in training, saying, "[A]s far as I'm concerned, a young boy like him cannot allow himself to train less than people like Figo,
Córdoba, and
Zanetti." Balotelli continued to be the subject of racist chants throughout the season, becoming the focus of Juventus fans even during matches not involving Inter, leading to Juventus being fined twice and the club ultimately punished with a partial stadium closure. Balotelli's disciplinary problems and his difficult relationship with Mourinho continued in the 2009–10 season. In November 2009, Inter drew 1–1 against Roma, after which Mourinho criticized his players, going as far as saying Balotelli "came close to a zero rating". Balotelli had another negative encounter with Juventus fans in the heated ''
Derby d'Italia'' encounter in an away match against Juventus on 5 December 2009, which Inter lost 2–1. When he was elbowed by Juventus midfielder
Felipe Melo in the shoulder, Balotelli fell theatrically onto the pitch, for which he was booked, while Melo was sent off for a second yellow card. The incident sparked an altercation between Balotelli's teammate
Thiago Motta and Juventus goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon. The tension between Balotelli and Mourinho reached its peak on the eve of the
UEFA Champions League second leg against
Chelsea after the young striker was not called-up, following an altercation with his manager. Despite Inter's 1–0 win at
Stamford Bridge, Balotelli was criticized by several senior players, including captain Javier Zanetti and veteran defender
Marco Materazzi, as well as by his own agent. In March 2010, he came under heavy criticism from fans after he publicly sported an
AC Milan shirt on the Italian show
Striscia la Notizia. Balotelli released a statement of apology in Inter's official website that read: After a falling-out with Mourinho, Balotelli was recalled for Inter's April 2010 match against
Bologna, and he marked his return with a goal in their 3–0 win. He again caused controversy in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on 20 April 2010 when he threw his shirt on the ground after the final whistle in response to Inter fans who had booed him for his poor performance. He admitted three years later the incident was the only regret in his life. Disgruntled fans confronted and tried to attack Balotelli after the match. His behavior on the pitch brought disapproval from his teammates, with Javier Zanetti publicly saying, "Mario needs to focus on doing what he can do on the pitch, he can't allow himself to behave like this." Amid these controversies with his club and manager, many English
Premier League teams, including
Manchester United and
Manchester City, indicated they were interested in signing Balotelli in July 2010.
Manchester City 2010–11 After weeks of speculation, Inter reached an agreement for Balotelli's transfer to
Manchester City on 12 August 2010 for a €21.8 million fee. At Manchester City, Balotelli reunited with his former head coach at Inter,
Roberto Mancini, who said, "His style of play will suit the Premier League, and because he is still so young there is a big chance for him to improve. He is a strong and exciting player, and City fans will enjoy watching him." and
Bacary Sagna in April 2012 On 19 August 2010, Balotelli came on as a substitute to score in his debut against Romanian side
Politehnica Timișoara in a 1–0 away win in the
UEFA Europa League, but during the match, injured the
lateral meniscus in his right knee and on 8 September, underwent surgery that sidelined him until October. On 28 December, Balotelli scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–0 win over
Aston Villa. Despite this success, Balotelli still had disciplinary problems, and in March 2011, he was sent off in the second leg of Manchester City's Europa League draw with
Dynamo Kyiv. On 14 May, Balotelli was named man of the match in the
2011 FA Cup Final as Manchester City defeated
Stoke City 1–0 to win their first trophy in 35 years.
2011–12 Balotelli scored his first goal of the
2011–12 campaign in a 2–0
League Cup win against
Birmingham City. He followed this up with the opening goal against
Everton three days later. On 1 October 2011, he scored his third goal in as many matches in a 4–0 win away to
Blackburn Rovers. Balotelli scored the opening two goals and forced the dismissal of
Jonny Evans as City defeated
Manchester United 6–1 at
Old Trafford on 23 October in what would prove to be a decisive game in helping win Manchester City the Premier League title. Balotelli made his UEFA Champions League debut for City on 2 November in the second leg against
Villarreal. He scored on a penalty shot near the end of the first half, his first Champions League goal for City and his seventh goal overall in the season. On 27 November, Balotelli came on as a 65th-minute substitute against
Liverpool and was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Balotelli scored using his right shoulder in City's 5–1 win over
Norwich City on 3 December. He put City 1–0 up against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after just two minutes on 12 December, although Chelsea rallied to win 2–1. On 22 January 2012, Balotelli came on as a substitute during a match against
Tottenham Hotspur. He appeared to stamp on
Scott Parker during the match against Tottenham, but, already booked, did not receive a second yellow from referee
Howard Webb, who did not see the incident. Balotelli subsequently scored his first goal of 2012, an injury-time penalty which secured a 3–2 win for City. He was charged for violent conduct for the kick against Scott Parker and was suspended for four matches, three for violent conduct and one for his second sending off. He scored again the following game in a 2–0 win against
Bolton Wanderers. On 31 March, Balotelli scored twice as City drew 3–3 at home against
Sunderland. However, Balotelli was criticized for his actions in the match after squabbling with
Aleksandar Kolarov over a free kick. Roberto Mancini claimed after the match he had considered substituting Balotelli just five minutes into the match. On 8 April 2012, Balotelli received his fourth red card of the season after receiving his second yellow card during the match for a tackle against
Bacary Sagna during City's 1–0 loss to Arsenal in April 2012. Balotelli was banned for three matches (one for the two yellow cards and two for the previous two red cards in the same season). After the Arsenal match, Mancini appeared to have finally lost his patience with Balotelli, suggesting Balotelli would not play any part in the remainder of City's season and be sold by the club. Despite this, Balotelli did make an appearance as a late substitute in the last match of the season, a
final day decider against
Queens Park Rangers. Balotelli provided the assist to striker
Sergio Agüero, who scored in the 94th minute to give City their first league title since 1968.
2012–13 In December 2012, Balotelli decided to fight against Manchester City's decision to fine him two weeks' wages for his poor disciplinary record the previous season by taking his club to a Premier League tribunal. Balotelli missed 11 matches domestically and in Europe last season because of suspensions. With less than a day remaining to the start of the hearing, Balotelli dropped his tribunal action and accepted the fine.
AC Milan 2012–13 On 29 January 2013, AC Milan's organising director Umberto Gandini announced the club had agreed to sign Balotelli from Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year deal rumoured to be worth €20 million plus bonuses and add-ons. Manchester City's then manager Roberto Mancini suggested he had sanctioned Balotelli's sale to Milan for the good of the player, describing the forward as "like another one of my children" and saying Balotelli could become one of the best players in the world when restored to Serie A. On 31 January 2013, the Serie A giants completed the signing, and Balotelli was awarded the number 45 shirt, the same number he wore for Inter Milan and Manchester City. Milan vice-president
Adriano Galliani said, "Balotelli in
Rossoneri is a dream that has been realized. It is a transfer that everyone wanted: club, president and fans." Balotelli received a warm reception when he returned to Milan. His arrival saw some fans scuffling with police and one policeman was taken to hospital with head injuries. It was said
Silvio Berlusconi's signing of Balotelli would help him gain extra votes in the
2013 Italian general election. On 3 February 2013, Balotelli made his debut for Milan and scored two goals, including a last minute penalty, to earn a 2–1 victory over
Udinese. The win lifted Milan to fourth in the table, ahead of Inter Milan on goal difference. In the next two matches, Balotelli scored two goals, including free-kick against
Parma. With that goal, he equaled
Oliver Bierhoff's record of four goals in first three matches for Milan. In his fifth appearance, Balotelli appeared as a substitute against
Genoa and scored his fifth goal for his new club. In the match against
Palermo, Balotelli continued his impressive scoring streak with two more goals, one from a penalty and another from an
M'Baye Niang cross. Balotelli then scored four goals in three consecutive matches: one against
Catania, one against
Torino and two against
Pescara. On 12 May 2013, Balotelli was subjected to racist chants by some of the Roma fans, which prompted the match to be suspended for several minutes by referee
Gianluca Rocchi, in an eventual 0–0 away draw. On the final day of
the season, Balotelli scored his 12th goal in 13 matches for Milan as the team defeated
Siena to qualify for the
2013–14 UEFA Champions League. He ended his first season with Milan with 12 goals in 13 appearances as Milan finished third in
Serie A.
2013–14 On 22 September 2013, Balotelli missed a penalty in a competitive match for the first time in 22 attempts as a professional.
Pepe Reina stopped the attempt as Milan lost 2–1 to
Napoli. During a match against
Catania on 1 December, Balotelli accused opponent
Nicolás Spolli of racially abusing him, but there was insufficient evidence for any action to be taken. The following week, Balotelli scored two goals in a 2–2 draw with
Livorno, including a sensational 30-yard
direct free kick that was clocked at a speed of 109
km/h.
Liverpool 2014–15 In August 2014, Balotelli joined Liverpool for a £16 million transfer fee to replace the outgoing
Luis Suárez. He made his Liverpool debut in a league game away to Tottenham Hotspur on 31 August, a game Liverpool won 3–0. Balotelli scored his first Liverpool goal on 16 September, opening a 2–1
Anfield victory against
Ludogorets Razgrad in the
group stage of the
2014–15 UEFA Champions League. In a match in the same competition on 22 October against
Real Madrid, Balotelli was criticised by manager
Brendan Rodgers for swapping shirts with opponent
Pepe at half time, saying, "It's something that doesn't happen here and shouldn't happen here." On 18 December 2014, Balotelli was suspended for one match and fined £25,000 for posting an image on social media which appeared to contain
antisemitic and racist references. Balotelli's first Premier League goal for Liverpool came on his 13th appearance, on 10 February 2015, an 83rd-minute winner in a 3–2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at
Anfield, nine minutes after replacing
Daniel Sturridge. He scored just 4 goals in 28 appearances and at season's end and was adjudged by many to be among the worst signings of the season.
Return to AC Milan on loan On 27 August 2015, Balotelli returned to Milan on season-long loan deal. On 22 September, he scored his first goal after returning to Milan on his third appearance to open the scoring in the fifth minute from a free kick at 25 yards out against Udinese in a 3–2 away win. However, a week later, he suffered a
groin injury in a 1–0 defeat to Genoa on 27 September, requiring surgery and ruling him out for three months. He returned to action, coming on as a substitute on 17 January 2016 in a 2–0 home win over
Fiorentina, before scoring the lone goal from the penalty spot nine days later during the first semi final leg of the
Coppa Italia against
Alessandria as he helped Milan reach the
final of the tournament. On 1 May, he had his penalty saved in a 3–3 home draw against
Frosinone, for which he was mocked by opponent
Mirko Gori. Balotelli finished the season with only 1 goal in 20 league appearances as Milan finished the season in seventh place, once again failing to qualify for Europe following their 1–0 defeat to Juventus in the
2016 Coppa Italia Final.
Nice 2016–17 On 31 August 2016, the deadline day for the summer transfer window, it was announced Balotelli had joined
Nice of the French
Ligue 1 on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal. In an interview leading up to his Nice debut on 11 September, Balotelli told
Canal Plus that joining Liverpool in the summer of 2014 was the "worst mistake of his life" and that Brendan Rodgers and Jürgen Klopp (the two Liverpool managers during Balotelli's time at the club) did not make a good impression on him and he did not get along with them. He made his debut for Nice, starting in a home Ligue 1 match against
Marseille, converting a penalty in the 7th minute and scoring a header from
Ricardo's cross in the 78th minute as Nice won the match 3–2. On 21 September, Balotelli, in only his second Ligue 1 appearance, struck another double in the 30th and 68th minutes as Nice thrashed
Monaco 4–0 in the
Azurean derby at the
Allianz Riviera to go to the top of Ligue 1. No other player had scored four goals in their first two Ligue 1 matches in the last 25 years. On 29 September, Balotelli scored his fifth goal in just four competitive matches for Nice when he fired home a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area in the 43rd minute after an
assist from
Malang Sarr in a
2016–17 UEFA Europa League Group I match against
Krasnodar in an eventual 5–2 away defeat. That was his first goal in a UEFA club competition since February 2015, when he scored for Liverpool against
Beşiktaş in the round of 32 of the
2014–15 UEFA Europa League knockout phase. On 2 October, Balotelli scored the winning goal in the 86th minute by sending a powerful kick from the edge of the box into the top right corner as Nice defeated
Lorient 2–1 in a home Ligue 1 match, during which he received a yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration of his goal and was subsequently sent off minutes later in stoppage time after receiving a second, controversial yellow card following an altercation with Lorient's
Steven Moreira, where neither player appeared to do anything wrong. Balotelli's red card was rescinded four days later after referee Olivier Thual's admission he had made a mistake in showing Balotelli the second yellow card and the French Football League's Disciplinary Commission decided to annul his second yellow card, thus allowing him to be available for the following league match. On 21 December, he received his first official red card in a Nice shirt in a 0–0 Ligue 1 away draw with
Bordeaux for kicking
Igor Lewczuk. On 20 January 2017, after the 1–1 Ligue 1 away draw against
Bastia, Balotelli claimed on
Instagram he was a victim of racist abuse when fans of the
Corsican club allegedly made monkey noises directed at him during the match and just prior to the start of the match. On the following day,
Alassane Pléa (Balotelli's Nice teammate) confirmed he had heard the monkey noises directed at Balotelli. The
Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced an investigation into Balotelli's allegations. On 18 February 2017, Balotelli was sent off once again, this time in his 14th Ligue 1 appearance, a 1–0 win at Lorient. He received the straight red card in the second half for insulting referee Tony Chapron in English. He was given a two-match ban (the second match was a suspended ban that would be triggered in the event of any further misconduct by Balotelli) by the Ligue 1's disciplinary committee on 23 February. On the same day, the Ligue 1's disciplinary committee ordered Bastia to close part of their stadium for three matches and imposed a suspended one-point deduction on them for "the behaviour of the supporters of SC Bastia – shouts with racist connotations towards Balotelli, use of pyrotechnic devices and intrusion of supporters at the edge of the field". On 10 March 2017, Balotelli reached ten Ligue 1 goals for the season, scoring in a 2–2 draw with
Caen.
2017–18 On 25 June 2017, Balotelli signed a one-year contract extension with Nice. On 26 July, he played his first match of the season in Nice's
UEFA Champions League qualifying round first leg, in which he scored in their 1–1 draw against
Ajax. Balotelli finished the season with a career-high 18 league goals and a further 8 goals across all other competitions. His strong form earned him a recall to the Italy national team for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup four years prior.
2018–19 On 20 August 2018, Balotelli re-signed with Nice on a third consecutive one-year contract after a move to rivals Marseille fell through earlier in the summer. In spite of penning a new deal with the
Cote d'Azur club, Balotelli appeared late and out-of-shape for pre-season training, and did not play the first three league matches due to a court suspension. His struggling form at the start of the season, as well as his growing conflict with the new coach
Patrick Vieira, saw Balotelli left out of the first-team squad after making only 10 league appearances. Vieira later announced that Balotelli would not be renewing his contract with Nice and that he would likely leave during the January transfer window.
Marseille in 2019 On 23 January 2019, Balotelli terminated his contract with Nice and signed a contract until the end of the season with
Marseille. On 25 January, he made his debut for the club coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute at home to
Lille, later also scoring his first goal in the last minute of stoppage time of an ultimate 2–1 loss. He scored his fourth league goal on 3 March, an acrobatic volley in a 2–0 home win against
Saint-Étienne. He celebrated the goal by creating an
Instagram story on the pitch from his cell phone. On 30 March, he became the first player since
Josip Skoblar in the late 1960s to score in each of his first five home games for Marseille in Ligue 1.
Brescia On 18 August 2019, Balotelli signed a "multi-year contract" with his hometown club
Brescia on a free transfer. He signed for a base salary of €1.5 million before bonuses for one year, with an automatic renewal if the club avoids relegation. On 24 September 2019, Balotelli made his debut for the club in a 2–1 home league defeat against
Juventus. He was unable to play prior to this due to a four-match suspension he received while at Marseille for a rash challenge against
Montpellier. On 29 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away loss to Napoli. On 3 November 2019, Balotelli was subjected to
racist chants by some of the
Hellas Verona fans, prompting him to pick up the ball in the 54th minute and kick it into the crowd. He started to walk off as the match was suspended for several minutes, but he was persuaded by players of both sides to stay on the pitch. He went on to score in the 85th minute of the 2–1 away loss. Balotelli scored Brescia's lone goal in a 1–2 defeat against
Lazio on 5 January 2020. During the match, he was once again the subject of racist taunts from the opponent's fan base and afterwards Balotelli took to social media to condemn the attacks. The Serie A found Lazio supporters guilty of racial abuse but only fined the club €20,000 and they avoided more serious punishment by not having a stadium ban imposed on them. Brescia was relegated to
Serie B at the end of the
2019–20 Serie A season, thus the automatic renewal option of his contract was not activated, and the contract was ultimately terminated after Balotelli repeatedly missed training in June and July 2020. In November 2020, Balotelli trained with
Serie D side Franciacorta while being a free agent.
Monza On 7 December 2020, Balotelli moved to Serie B side
Monza on a seven-month contract, reuniting with former Milan teammate
Kevin-Prince Boateng, head coach
Cristian Brocchi, club owner Silvio Berlusconi, and chairman Adriano Galliani. Balotelli made his debut on 30 December, starting in a 3–0 win over league leaders
Salernitana and scoring on his first touch in the 4th minute. On 1 May 2021, after being on the sidelines for almost a month, Balotelli scored a brace against Salernitana. He came on in the 80th minute and scored on his first touch of the game after less than one minute, and doubled his tally in the first minute of added time.
Adana Demirspor On 7 July 2021, Balotelli joined newly promoted
Süper Lig club
Adana Demirspor. He scored 18 goals in the
2021–22 Süper Lig season, five of which were on the final matchday, in a 7–0 win over
Göztepe; his fourth goal in the match, which combined
step overs and a
rabona shot, earned him a nomination for the 2022
FIFA Puskás Award.
Sion On 31 August 2022, Balotelli signed a two-year contract for
Swiss Super League club
Sion. On 14 September 2023, he left after his contract was terminated.
Return to Adana Demirspor On 15 September 2023, Balotelli returned to Adana Demirspor, signing a one-year contract with an option for a further year. His debut and first goals of the new season on 1 October 2023, was in the
Alanyaspor match, in which he made his first appearance.
Genoa On 28 October 2024, Balotelli signed on a deal until the end of the season for
Serie A club
Genoa. He made his debut for the club in the 1–0 victory over
Parma on 4 November.
Al-Ittifaq On 7 January 2026, Balotelli agreed to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract with Emirati club
Al-Ittifaq. ==International career==