Mario Balotelli has branded Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers as the ‘worst coach’ he has ever had in a scathing attack on the Northern Irishman, who managed him at Liverpool. Balotelli worked under Rodgers for just one season at Anfield but the pair did not see eye-to-eye before the latter was sacked in 2015 and replaced by Jurgen Klopp.
Balotelli signed for Liverpool in 2014 but his move to Merseyside did not go to plan, with the Italian forward scoring just one goal for the club in his first season. He was deemed surplus to requirements by Rodgers at the end of the campaign and spent the following season on loan at AC Milan before joining Nice on a permanent deal in 2016.
The former Reds ace famously rubbed Rodgers up the wrong way during a Champions League match against Real Madrid when he swapped shirts with Pepe at half-time. They never really seemed to get on during Balotelli’s time at the club and he has since reaffirmed his disdain for Rodgers in a scathing interview with TVPlay.
He said: “Brendan Rodgers is the worst coach I have ever had. He was number one as far as training sessions were concerned, what with keeping possession of the ball and the small-sided games. but as a person he was a disaster.”
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Balotelli has endured mixed fortunes since leaving Liverpool seven years ago, with the 33-year-old going on to play for the likes of Marseille, Brescia, Monza and Swiss club Sion. He is currently in his second spell with Turkish club Adana Demirspor and has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, scoring three goals in five league appearances.
Rodgers, meanwhile, has previously criticised Balotelli for his lack of input at Anfield after being signed to replace Luis Suarez following the latter’s move to Barcelona. He revealed back in 2016 that he never wanted to sign Balotelli in the first place, blaming Liverpool’s owners for taking a gamble on him rather than bringing in Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
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“What we wanted and what we needed was a player who could really press at the top end of the field,” said Rodgers. “It wasn’t just a goalscorer we were after. I felt Mario was someone who wouldn’t work for us, but come the end of the summer, we were struggling to get someone who could do the role we wanted.
“I think the ownership group thought that this could be a player I could develop. They were thinking that maybe he is a £50million player that we can get for £16m. So, when the owners are wanting you to go down that route and there are no other options, then of course you give it a go.
“The huge blow for us was we felt we were getting Alexis Sanchez. We thought Luis was going and he would have been the like-for-like replacement. He would have been perfect for us.”
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