De Jong warning for Mario - City ace tells team-mate to stop acting the fool

Nigel de Jong: Says Manchester City team-mate Mario Balotelli needs to show his genius

Manchester City ace Nigel de Jong has told Mario Balotelli he needs to be more serious, rather than being a 'fool'.

The talented Italian has been plagued by controversy since moving to the Etihad Stadium, both on and off the field.

He again hit the headlines at the weekend as he clashed with team-mate Aleksandar Kolarov in the 3-3 draw with Sunderland, whilst he also found the net twice.

De Jong insists that Balotelli is a 'genius' but that his foolish side sometimes overtakes all his good work.

"Sometimes Mario is a fool and at other times he is a genius - there are two sides to him," he told The Sun.

"Lots of people expect him to pull off crazy stunts and as a result he feels he must do something.

"People like that need to have upheaval in their lives in order to perform.

"He is happy in his personal relationship. That is important and it makes him more focused.

"But he knows that he has to become more serious-minded."

Some have accused City boss Roberto Mancini of giving preferential treatment to Balotelli, but De Jong insists that the 21-year-old would be lost without him.

"Luckily, we have a manager who has his say, otherwise Mario would have gone off the rails a long time ago," he said.

"Problems also seem to come from the people who hang around with him."