Mario Balotelli dreams of a return to the Italy squad for the World Cup play-offs in March and admits he has spoken to Roberto Mancini lately: ‘I’d return from Turkey by foot.’
The Azzurri failed to win their World Cup qualification group and, therefore, they are forced to go through the play-offs to qualify for Qatar 2022.
Earlier this week, Mario Balotelli’s brother Enock said the former Inter and Milan striker would be ‘ideal’ for Roberto Mancini’s Italy and Balotelli has now confirmed he dreams of a return to the Azzurri squad.
“I feel good after the last two and a half years. I feel ready to return to the national team. It would be a dream. I’d be leaving Turkey by foot now if I knew I got a call-up in March,” he told OCW Sport.
“I have a very good relationship with Mancini and I have always had it. He just needs to tell me what he wants from me so that I can return to the national team. And I will. If I’ve heard it lately? Yes.”
“What he wants from me he has already said several times,” Balotelli continued. “I do not have to promise anything to myself. He knows if I’m okay, why shouldn’t he call me?
“For my characteristics, I could play with everybody. Even with Ciro [Immobile]. Would I take penalty kicks? I won’t reply because that would create controversy, but everybody knows I can take spot-kicks. Every footballer dreams of being the striker of his national team.”
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“He didn’t because he knows my potential and I’m not at that level yet,” Balotelli explained.
“Now, I have until March to get to the top of the condition. I’m not here to complain about not being called. I’m not far from my best condition, I just have to work.”
Balotelli joined Adana Demirspor over the summer and has scored five goals in 13 games across all competitions in Turkey.
The 31-year-old played his last game with the Azzurri in 2018 in a 1-1 draw against Poland in the Nations League.
“I refused offers from Italy, before moving to Turkey,” the striker revealed.
“Even if Italy won the Euros, everybody starts to throw mud after the first problem. That’s something I’ve never liked about Italy.
“I am happy many people are writing to me, asking to return to the national team. But the problem is: how can you mess everything up after the first problem? There are too many ignorant in Italy.