Why Always Me? - The Biography of Mario Balotelli, City's Legendary Striker

Intro -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Epigraph -- CONTENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- CHAPTER ONE: A TROUBLED BOY -- CHAPTER TWO: INTER THE BIG TIME -- CHAPTER THREE: MOURINHO MAYHEM -- CHAPTER FOUR: MANCINI -- THE SURROGATE FATHER -- CHAPTER FIVE: KISSED BY GOOD FORTUNE -- CHAPTER SIX: WELCOME TO MANCHESTER -- CHAPTER SEVEN: BOY BLUE -- CHAPTER EIGHT: GOLDEN YEAR -- CHAPTER NINE: BANNER HEADLINES -- CHAPTER TEN: END OF THE HURT -- CHAPTER ELEVEN: ITALIAN STALLIONS -- CHAPTER TWELVE: SEEING RED -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CITY'S CANTONA -- CHAPTER FOURTEEN: JUST CHAMPION CHAPTER FIFTEEN: FACT AND FICTION -- Plates -- Copyright Mario Balotelli is already a footballing legend - and he's only 22. Incredibly talented, yet frequently controversial both on and off the pitch, Balotelli lit up the Premier League from the moment he signed for Manchester City in 2010. Born in Italy to Ghanaian parents, he suffered life-threatening health problems as a baby. By the age of three he had recovered, but his parents then entrusted him to a foster family and Mario grew up in the affluent village of Concesio. He began his footballing career with Lumezzane, earning promotion to the first team at the age of just 15. Balotelli's skill soon brought him to the attention of Inter Milan and he signed with them in 2006. Having made his first team debut in 2007, he became the youngest Inter player to score in the Champions League in November 2008. His second season at Inter was blighted by disciplinary problems, and a series of high-profile clashes with manager Jose Mourinho paved the way for a move to the Premier League. Reunited with former boss Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, Balotelli soon made his mark with a series of stunning goals - and yet more incidents - which led to him being the subject of increasingly implausible newspaper reports about his antics. But the 2010/11 season was to end in glory, with a man-of-the-match performance as City won the FA Cup. A stunning performance in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany sealed Balotelli's status as a legend. This was eclipsed in the final game of the 2011/12 Premier League season, when Balotelli provided the assist to Sergio Aguero, who scored in the 94th minute to give City their first league title since 1968. He is sure to provide entertainment, goals and controversy for years to come. Mercurial, troublesome and frequently brilliant, this is the incredible story of the most fascinating man in world football today. He is mercurial, troublesome, and frequently brilliant—this is the incredible story of the most fascinating man in world football today Born in Italy to Ghanaian parents, Mario Barwuah suffered life-threatening health problems as a baby. By the age of three he had recovered, but his parents then entrusted him to a foster family—the Balotellis—and Mario grew up in the affluent village of Concesio. He began his football career with Lumezzane, earning promotion to the first team at the age of just 15. Balotelli's skill soon brought him to the attention of the biggest clubs in Italy, and he was signed by Inter Milan in 2006. Having made his first team debut in 2007, he became the youngest Inter player to score in the Champions League in November 2008. His second season at Inter was blighted by disciplinary problems, however, and a series of high-profile clashes with manager Jose Mourinho, along with criticism from his teammates for his behavior on the pitch, paved the way for a move to the Premier League. Balotelli soon made his mark with a series of stunning goals—and yet more incidents, leading to increasingly implausible newspaper reports about his antics. But the season was to end in glory, with a man-of-the-match performances as City won the FA Cup, and Balotelli was then instrumental in City's incredible 2011/12 campaign, providing the assist that led to Sergio Aguero's Premier League-winning goal. A stunning performance in the Euro 2012 semifinal against Germany sealed Balotelli's status as a legend among Italian fans, and he is sure to provide entertainment, goals, and controversy for years to come. Born in Italy to Ghanaian parents, Mario Barwuah suffered life-threatening health problems as a baby. By the age of three he had recovered, but his parents then entrusted him to a foster family - the Balotellis - and Mario grew up in the affluent village of Concesio. He began his football career with Lumezzane, earning promotion to the first team at the age of 15. Balotelli's skill soon brought him to the attention of the biggest clubs in Italy, and he was duly signed by Inter Milan in 2006. This book tells his story