Balotelli: I was at La Masia when I was 15, but Barcelona didn’t want to spend that much money on me

Hupu News on October 15 Balotelli is still a free agent, but has not officially announced his retirement. His career is far from reaching the height that people expected back then. Despite this, the Italian genius has still left his mark on Manchester City, Inter Milan, AC Milan and other giants. But what is less known is that he also briefly stayed in La Masia, and 20 years later he spoke publicly about this past event for the first time.

"When I was 15 years old, I got a call from Barcelona and stayed there for a month. But the team I was playing for at the time asked for a huge transfer fee. I was only 15 years old and Barcelona didn't want to spend so much money for such a young player, so I ended up joining Inter Milan. For about a month, I was in the same team as Bojan, Dos Santos, and Thiago. team, but I didn't see the first-team players at the time."

Speaking of today's football, he said bluntly: "I like Yamal very much. I am very surprised by him. I think he can win many Ballon d'Or awards because he is both talented and enterprising." The Spanish winger just won the second place in the Ballon d'Or and won two consecutive Copa Awards. But Balotelli also mentioned other players: "I also like Nico Williams, Haaland, Dembele and Mbappe, they are all very strong." - Once upon a time, he himself frequently appeared on similar lists.