Mario Balotelli never fulfilled his potential, but for one month in the summer of 2012, it looked like he would.
Italy headed into Euro 2012 on the back of two big disappoints, having only just made it out of the group stage at Euro 2008 but gone no further, and having fallen at the first hurdle at the World Cup two years later.
One of their main problems on both occasions was the lack of a prolific striker. Not one player scored more than one goal at either tournament with Luca Toni, Alessandro Del Piero, Antonio Di Natale, Antonio Cassano, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino all failing to deliver.
With all of the above retired or past their best by 2012, it was time for a new man to try and fill the void. That man’s name was Mario.
That filled Italians with hope and fear in equal measure – Balotelli was undoubtedly talented, but infamously unreliable.
The club season just gone had been his best yet. He’d scored 17 goals in all competitions for Manchester City to help them secure their first Premier League title, but he was still making the headlines for the wrong reasons as often as he was for the right ones.
As a result, he had plenty of critics and doubters, and he did little in the first two games of the tournament to silence them.
A slow start
Italy made a strong start to their campaign, deservedly picking up a point against pre-tournament favourites Spain, but Balotelli didn’t really impress.
While he worked hard, he also missed his side’s biggest chance of the night and was subbed off after picking up a yellow card, with his replacement, Di Natale, scoring straight after coming on.
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READ: Remembering when a teenage Mario Balotelli destroyed Juve for Inter
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It was a similar story in the second match against Croatia. Again, it wasn’t for the lack of trying, but he just wasn’t as clinical as his team needed him to be, failing to really trouble the keeper when presented with sights of goal.
That led to calls for Cesar Prandelli to drop him for the final group stage game against the Republic of Ireland, and the manager did just that, giving Di Natale the nod instead.
You’d have been forgiven for expecting him to throw his toys out of the pram about it, but he instead kept his head down and took his last chance to claim a spot in the starting XI for the knockout round.
He was brought on in the 75th minute with his team possessing a 1-0 lead and knowing they’d be out if they couldn’t hold on to…
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