KP’s Euro Bite No.5: Balotelli and Suarez: For the Love of the Anti-Hero

By Kate Partridge. Following the international break, the Premier League will resume along with the first round of Champions League group matches. Liverpool play both games at home - to unbeaten Aston Villa and Bulgarian side Ludogorets - a perfect opportunity, says Kate Partridge, for new signing Mario Balotelli to make an impression. Hopefully a good one.

When I heard that Liverpool had agreed a £16m fee with AC Milan for striker Mario Balotelli, I thought: “What a great bit of business.” When I said as much to my friend, who’s a Liverpool fan, she replied: “A huge risk. One bit of trouble on the pitch exchanged for one bit of trouble off it.” I was surprised.

For me, it seems simple. In the current climate, with strikers at a premium – NB Southampton paid Hull £12m for Shane Long – and Liverpool battling on the domestic and European fronts, 16 million quid for a 24-year-old with a bit of baggage who still bags a goal every two-and-a-half games is like finding a Picasso at a car boot.

Then throw into the mix the undeniably effective management style of the placid Brendan Rodgers. More than that is the simple matter of time. Nothing lasts forever, be it triumph or disaster, and no individual is ever bigger than his club.

Following the departure of recent flawed talisman Luis Suarez and the advent of another one, I thought I would quickly review the first few Match of the Days of this season to see how Liverpool were getting on.

So far, the Reds are fifth in the league after playing three games, winning two and losing one, with Balotelli featuring in the latest 3-0 victory at Tottenham, where he missed three opportunities to open his account. In his defence, he was making a much-hyped debut, and you have to be in those positions in the first place to miss them.

Yet the issue seems to be less about Balotelli’s scoring prowess than his potential for disrupting the dressing room and so kaiboshing the team’s chances for success. But, for the outlay of £16m offset against the £65m secured for Suarez, any serious sign of dissent could see him sacked or loaned out (or even imprisoned) for a cost that could be
swiftly written off.

There are also the disciplinary systems within the clubs and leagues themselves, which mean that even if a lynchpin loses the plot, life goes on, sometimes to the benefit of all. Eric Cantona’s infamous kung-fu kick on an abusive fan in January 1995 resulted in a hefty nine-month ban, being stripped of his France captaincy, and 120 hours of community service. His Manchester United side finished a point behind champions Blackburn in the league.

The charismatic midfielder returned the following season with a panache Cyrano de Bergerac would have appreciated, scoring the FA-Cup-winning goal against Liverpool to hand United the double, and ending the campaign as the Football Writers’ Association player of the year. Twelve months after that, he won the Premiership then promptly announced his retirement at the age of 30.

Similarly, Suarez missed the first six matches at the beginning of last season, but still finished as the league’s top scorer and vaunted player, as well as steering Liverpool to second in the league. If the Uruguayan had a point to prove after his ban, he achieved it in glittering style.

There’s also the manager. Rodgers has a different temperament to coaches such as Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho. Mancini, Balotelli’s boss at Inter Milan and Manchester City, finally lashed out at his exasperating, willful compatriot in a training ground punch-up; Inter boss Mourinho simply ostracised the wayward frontman. In contrast, Rodgers helped hone vampirous recidivist and alleged racist Suarez into Europe’s most breathtaking player.

Liverpool have set their own bar. The five-time European champions face a Champions League group campaign against holders Real Madrid, Basel and Ludogorets – a set of fixtures that could well see the Reds progress to the knock-out phase. For this, they need a squad with strength and depth. The same applies to the Premier League, particularly after falling so agonisingly short of the title last season.

There’s also the perception of style, excitement and its commercial consequences. Flawed geniuses, especially prodigious goalscorers with a sense of fun, are often loved by more supporters, who wear their shirts feeling as much empathy for their anti-hero’s human failings as they do admiration for his illustrious achievements. Characters like Gazza appeal to the kid in all of us.

Balotelli’s impromptu toilet break at a Manchester sixth form college might have won him as many young local fans as his cool strike in City’s 6-1 thrashing of rivals United. On day one at training with Liverpool, the kids were climbing on bins and queuing up to see him. If the Italy forward stays at Anfield for five months or five years, his commercial potential alone will quickly cover his fee.

And then there’s the question of age. The average top-flight footballer has a career of just eight years. Mario’s already 24. Immaturity is no longer an excuse. Fireworks should be saved for his displays on the pitch, not for blowing up his bathroom. If he wants to achieve his full potential, he has to do it now or never. If it’s never, he only cost £16m. If it’s now, he’s the Bentley boot bargain not just of the summer – but of the decade.

Can Mario Balotelli stay out of trouble and enjoy a successful stay at Anfield? Does he have the potential to be one of the best strikers in the Premier League?

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