Paolo Di Canio has claimed that Mario Balotelli has ‘demons in his brain’ and is more interested in being a celebrity than a footballer.
The Liverpool striker’s future is uncertain, with the arrival of Christian Benteke at Anfield.
Balotelli’s career has always been tainted with controversies and Di Canio says the 24-year-old must make changes to his attitude or he will waste his abilities.
“Talking as a manager, my view on football is you need to understand what it means to play with and for your team-mates,” Di Canio told TalkSport.
“You need to show empathy in good moments and bad moments. It doesn’t look like he is doing this.
“Many managers have tried to change him. Mancini was his father in football but even he now doesn’t want him back at Inter.
“Mourinho understood at the beginning. He is a very good reader of players and he saw that you can’t change this guy. Now he is nearly 25, he needs to change himself. He can’t rely on other people to help him.
“The demons are in his brain. He is still young, physically he is strong, he is an incredible natural athlete, but he has never used his big potential.
“Sometimes he thinks football is I can keep the ball, show off in some way, and then my team-mates have to run for me. No. Football is sacrifice. Football is to bond with your team-mates. Not off the field in a bar because you are generous. It is being generous on the pitch.
“He has big potential and I hope in my heart for him that he can turn it around, but I presume it will be very difficult because he spends too much time on social network and it seems he uses football to be a celebrity – not the opposite”.
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