Balotelli used to deliberately score own goals in training, says Lambert

Mario Balotelli would ruin Liverpool training sessions by deliberately scoring own goals, according to former teammate Rickie Lambert.

The former England international, 39, spent the 2014-15 season at his boyhood club following a dream move from Southampton.

Balotelli would deliberately derail Liverpool training sessions if things weren’t going his way, according to Lambert
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Lambert failed to shine in a tricky period of his career, taking 12 games to break his goal duck – ultimately scoring just two goals in 25 Premier League matches.

And to make matters worse, the striker was left frustrated by being stuck behind Balotelli in then-Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers’ pecking order.

Lambert told the Straight From the Off podcast: “[Balotelli] was a good lad, childish but infectious.

“But as soon as he stepped on the training pitch he became a different person. I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest.

“I was at the pinnacle of my time as a professional, so to come across him was just…

“At first, he gave everything when he played. But in training, I could tell he wasn’t giving his all.

“He was answering Brendan back and my head went with that.

“The fact that he was playing in front of me didn’t bother me at first, I thought ‘I’ll get myself in’.

“But just seeing the way he was in training, and then he was playing, it did affect me a little bit.”

On Balotelli sabotaging sessions at Melwood, Lambert revealed former England team-mate Joe Hart said it was a similar story at Manchester City.

Lambert explained: “My head went with him in training.

“I had to go in and say to Brendan ‘don’t put me on his team again’. I think Stevie had said the same.

“His head would just go things weren’t going his way.

“He would just ruin the session basically. He’d kick the ball away, score an own goal.

“I was speaking to Joe Hart and the lads at England and they were like ‘he was like that at City’.

“I’d ask them ‘how did he get away with it?’. They just shook their heads.”

All in all, Balotelli spent two seasons on the books of Liverpool – one of which was spent on loan at AC Milan.

The 36-cap Italy international scored just once in 16 Premier League games and was eventually sold for good to Nice in 2016.

Balotelli is currently on the books of Serie B side Monza.