Ten years ago, the Italian seemed destined to become a football superstar, but now he is in Switzerland after one misstep after another.
It remains one of the most iconic images in sports history. Mario Balotelli, with a petrified face, without his T-shirt, with clenched fists, bulging muscles: a model of defiance. Balotelli himself even commissioned an artist to immortalize the moment with a life-size statue.
To be fair, he wasn’t the only one enamored with the iconic pose. The FIFA added the ‘flex’ of the Euro 2012 striker to the next edition of its video game series, while Subbuteo unveiled a special edition figure.
At that time, everyone was under the spell of ‘Super Mario’. He graced the cover of Time magazine and joined an exclusive club of Italian idols, including Luciano Pavoretti, Silvio Berlusconi, Sophia Loren and Giorgio Armani.
Sports Illustrated labeled him ‘The Most Interest Man Alive’ and to be fair he wasn’t far behind.
Source: Goal