Mario Balotelli story of when Man City kit man opened his locker after leaving club | OneFootball

Hectic, eventful, unpredictable. These are just a handful of adjectives that can be used to describe Mario Balotelli’s stint in Manchester.

The former Man City striker was no stranger to a fascinating story and luckily for the fans, new information seems to rise to the top every now and again.

Fines at Premier League level are becoming a staple part of the modern game, with leaked sheets of jaw-dropping financial sanctions revealed over the last few years.

GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY

Play Video

What City's ex-kitman found in Balotelli’s locker

From scraps with the managerial staff to setting off fireworks in his own house, there was never a dull day in the life of Balotelli.

But his fine list is a story of its own. And it’s mind-blowing.

Most recently, ex-City kitman Les Chapman has delved deeper into the Italian’s off-pitch antics on the Ninety Three Twenty Podcast.

“I used to do tours of the training ground. And I can remember going in the dressing toom with the first tour after Mario had left," Chapman said.

“And I said to them, ‘This is Mario’s locker’. Opened the door and about 30 parking tickets fell out! And a wage slip. He’d been fined by the club, that month, £100,000."

What may seem like pocket change for those lucky to live the footballer lifestyle, a six-figure fine is typically unheard of.

Now this one was not from a traffic warden, as he was so famously known for, but instead one from the club which we can assume was blatantly ignored by Balotelli.

“He had his car impounded 27 times and owed Manchester City Council 10s of thousands of pounds when he left and I think the club paid it up for him," Chapman added.

Balotelli’s mischievous ways put him in his own bracket, but unfortunately for him, a bracket other managers would stay well away from.

The story behind his infamous celebration

The Golden Boy winner’s ill-disciplined nature is not exclusive to fines, however, as he raised some eyebrows with a certain goal celebration.

One of the most iconic celebrations in Premier League history was unleashed when Balotelli lifted up his shirt in the 2011-12 campaign.

He had just scored the opening goal of an eventual thrashing over their arch-rivals, but Balotelli took the phrase ‘celebrations are in order’ very seriously and very prematurely.

“Why always me?” was written on a light blue shirt underneath his City number, and Chapman relived the moment, claiming his shirt-printing duties were stripped after the debacle.

"This particular day Mario took me around and said 'I want this printed on my shirt, what do you think?' I said yeah I’ll print it up, but [I told him] you can’t have anything that’s offensive to United fans or anybody really.

“He came out with one or two things and I said “No, Mario” and then he said “What about why always me?” As soon as he said it I thought that’s just about perfect and then I got in trouble after the game.

“They wouldn’t let me print anymore shirts after that game because instead of just lifting his shirt up to there, he lifted it over his head and got booked so David Platt said ‘message from Mancini, don’t print anymore shirts’.”

Not only did he manage to get himself in ample trouble, he managed to get staff members wound up in all the chaos.

Oh, Mario.

Balotelli’s career after Man City

Balotelli eventually packed his bags and moved to AC Milan, and you could hear a sigh of relief from Mancini from a mile away.

His wild ride at the Etihad was over to the delight of some, but his legacy in sky blue will live on forever.