'I'm still the strongest' - Bullish Mario Balotelli backs himself as Italy's best striker as he pushes for international recall at 33

Posted Thursday, November 23, 2023 by Goal.com

Mario Balotelli believes he is worthy of a recall to the Italy national team, insisting he is still the strongest striker available for the Azzurri.

WHAT HAPPENED?
It has been more than five years since Balotelli last featured for Italy, leaving him on 36 caps and 14 goals. He currently plays for Turkish side Adana Demirspor and is off to a good start since his September arrival, scoring three times in five Super Lig appearances. The 33-year-old is feeling confident and believes he should be considered for a return to the national team by coach Luciano Spalletti.

WHAT BALOTELLI SAID
"If I’m well, I still consider myself the strongest," he said to TVPlay. "Did [Giacomo] Raspadori and [Gianluca] Scamacca play [against Ukraine]? How many shots did they take combined? Two? I want to recover and play for the national team. I always hope for the call. I met Spalletti and I’ve met him several times. We made some jokes when we met in a friendly with Napoli, but I have no relationship."

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Italy came close to missing out on a place at Euro 2024 as a goalless draw with Ukraine in their last qualifying match saw them edge their opponents to second in the group. Ukraine felt they should have been given a penalty in the dying minutes of the game, which could have resulted in the Azzurri crashing out. Spalletti had few options available when it came to an out-and-out striker to choose for his starting XI, with Raspadori, Scamacca and Moise Kean the only candidates to take on the role.

WHAT NEXT FOR BALOTELLI?
It will likely take something special for Balotelli to convince Spalletti to give him a call-up to the squad ahead of Euro 2024. The striker has had a career full of ups and downs, having had spells at AC Milan, Inter, Manchester City, Liverpool and Marseille, among many other clubs.