MLS: Mario Balotelli could be an absolute disaster

Mario Balotelli could be available with his contract at Brescia set to be terminated. Balotelli in MLS could be a terrific storyline. It could also be a disaster.

One of the long-running criticisms of Major League Soccer has been the lack of personality and dynamic character of the players. Where in the NFL, NBA or many of the global leagues, there are good and bad guys, players that drive interesting, turbulent, gripping narratives. The stars make people want to watch because of their demeanour, behaviour, their unpredictability.

MLS is sometimes seen as vanilla. The players are nice. The coaches are nice. The fans are nice. It is why Zlatan Ibrahimovic was such a draw when he arrived in the league two years ago. He was unapologetically himself and it made for riveting viewing. And now there is another self-professed bad boy on the market which could attract many MLS teams.

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This week, it was reported that Mario Balotelli could see his contract at Brescia terminated as he missed training again. The striker has reportedly missed several training sessions since lockdown eased in Italy and is now expected to leave Brescia. He will be available on a free transfer should any team attempt to sign him.

Of course, the MLS discussion immediately turns to which teams could sign him, and if any can, whether it would be a wise move. Speaking to ESPN FC, Alejandro Moreno certainly thinks not:

"“Everybody in the career of Mario Balotelli who has had some sort of opportunity to make a decision on the player has thought to themselves ‘I am the person who is going to get the best out of this guy. I’m going to be the one who is able to control him and maximise his potential and fully cash in on his ability. And he is going to be a draw on the field and he is going to be a draw off the field’. And all of these people have been wrong. He is untouchable. The risk of a potential disaster far outweighs the potential positive impact that he may have on my team and my organisation, on and off the field.”"

Herculez Gomez, on the other hand, believes that the drama of Balotelli would be excellent for the league:

"“Bring in Mario <..> Why would you want this headache? Because I want a better league. I want a more exciting league. I want to sell because Zlatan did something that no other player has done, by being himself.”"

Certainly, like with Zlatan, there is an attraction to the star power of Balotelli that many teams in MLS will be desperate to add. For better or worse, he is entertaining, and in a growing league which is always looking to expand its market and add new fans, bringing in a divisive figure like Balotelli who can help drive the narrative of the season could be genius.

And yet, there is also the potential for disaster. This is someone who set off fireworks in his own bathroom, hoisted a ‘Why Always Me?’ shirt in celebration in scoring a goal in the Manchester derby, is a renowned troublemaker, and has usually turfed his way out of every team he has played for. Jose Mourinho once said he could write a 200-page book on managing Balotelli at Inter Milan.

He might be a potentially special player at the MLS level. And he might put bums on seats and bring fans through the turnstiles. But he could also turn out to be a disaster. That is the balancing game teams will have to play.