‘I could have made more effort’ – Former Marseille & Nice striker Mario Balotelli reflects on career regrets | OneFootball

Former Marseille and Nice striker Mario Balotelli (35) has admitted he could have “made more effort” during his career. The 35-year-old, who is a free agent after leaving Genoa this summer, made the comments in an interview with Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

First arriving in France at OGC Nice, the Italian scoring 43 goals in 76 Ligue 1 appearances between 2016 and 2019, before joining Marseille for a six-month spell in 2019 where he netted eight goals in 15 matches.Yet last season, Balotelli managed just 56 minutes across six substitute appearances in Serie A last season. Despite turning 35 on Tuesday, the 36-cap Italy international says he has no plans to retire and hopes to play “two or three more years”, even revealing a dream of joining Real Madrid.

The former Inter, Manchester City, Milan, Liverpool, Nice and OM forward also explained his only real regret concerns his international career: “I could have played more, but some people didn’t want me in the national team.” Balotelli also reiterated a promise to finish his career alongside his brother Enock Barwuah, who signed for Serie D side Vado this summer.

Since leaving Marseille, Balotelli has played for Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor – where he scored 26 goals in 51 games – and FC Sion, before returning to Italy with Genoa.GFFN | George Boxall