Mario Balotelli joins 14th club of his career in surprise move

Mario Balotelli has now completed the 14th transfer of his career after being handed a surprise career lifeline by Al-Ittifaq in Dubai.

The maverick Italian has spent the first half of the season as a free agent, having left Genoa upon the expiry of his contract last June.

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Balotelli attracted interest from both Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs last summer, but ultimately remained unattached.

Balotelli joins new club

The 35-year-old, who maintained his fitness playing and coaching at Kandima in the Maldives, has now found a new home in the UAE.

Balotelli has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al-Ittifaq, not to be confused with the Saudi side that Steven Gerrard managed.

Instead, the Emirati football club, who were only founded six years ago, currently sit rock bottom of the UAE First Division.

Al-Ittifaq have only won two of their 11 games this season while scoring just six goals, and need Balotelli to hit the ground running.

However, the striker, whose time in European football looks over, failed to score in any of his six appearances for Genoa last season.

It is the 14th new club of Balotelli’s career, since earning a move to Italian giants Inter Milan in 2007 as a teenager from Lumezzane.

He was part of the Nerazzurri side that won the treble under Jose Mourinho, including the 2010 Champions League.

Balotelli then arrived in England that summer after completing a £20million move to Manchester City.

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Famously, his only Premier League assist proved to be the one that teed up Sergio Aguero‘s dramatic winner to seal the title in 2012.

Following a falling out with City boss Roberto Mancini, Balotelli was shown the door just six months later as he went to AC Milan.

It wasn’t long before Super Mario made a return to the Premier League, however, as he signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2014.

A disastrous spell at Anfield ensued, in which Balotelli managed just four goals in 28 matches for the Reds – one in the Premier League.

The 36-cap Italy international then enjoyed a three-year spell with French club Nice from 2016, after a season on loan back at AC Milan.

Since then, Balotelli hasn’t remained at one club for longer than a season, with stints in Ligue 1, Serie A, Switzerland and Turkey.

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Balotelli ‘thinking’ about becoming a coach

“I’m thinking about it as I’m getting old,” Balotelli told reporters on Saturday ahead of his flight to Dubai to join his new team.

“But what if I find another one with my same character? What would I do next?”

On Al-Ittifaq, Balotelli added: “It’s a nice project.

“It’s hot in there, while here it’s cold, so I can’t wait to get there. I’m even stronger than the others.

“There were a few calls from Italy. We tried to negotiate, but I wasn’t up for it.

“I think football has changed; there are other players, and it’s right to make room for them. I’m 35.”