Controversial forward Mario Balotelli has issued a cheeky response to retired striker Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who recently criticised his former teammate for having wasted his talent.
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During an interview last week, the former Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain frontman spoke candidly about Balotelli, whom he played alongside briefly during his time at Inter Milan.
According to the Daily Mirror, Ibrahimovic did not hesitate to claim that Balotelli "had so many opportunities and he missed all of them" and that he "just threw his talent away".
The 41-year-old's opinion of the Adana Demirspor striker seems to be one that is widely held by many, with the ex-Manchester City forward often accused of having failed to live up to his potential.
The player has played for eight different clubs since leaving the Citizens in 2013, including Nice in France and Sion in Switzerland.
He, however, has not taken Ibrahimovic's criticism lying down, taking to social media to post a picture of himself celebrating with the UEFA Champions League trophy, a collective title his former teammate never won, on his Instagram story. Balotelli also tagged the Swede in his post.
Mario Balotelli posted a photo of him holding the Champions League trophy after Zlatan had criticized him for not maximizing his talent.Zlatan never won the Champions League in his career ?? pic.twitter.com/tVKtypeAGm
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 15, 2023
Ibrahimovic retired from the sport after collecting 34 pieces of silverware in his long career, while Balotelli has won eight trophies to date.
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The Italian burst on to the scene at the Nerazzurri in 2007, before going on to contribute to 45 goals in 86 appearances for the club over three seasons, ending his spell at Inter by being a part of their iconic treble-winning campaign.
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