Mario Balotelli, despite being only 25, is already a player that heavily divides opinion. Some feel that "Super Mario" is unfairly criticized and scapegoated; others believe he deserves every negative remark thrown his way. His actions during his spells with Inter, Manchester City, AC Milan, and Liverpool both entertained and enraged supporters, many of whom were more than happy to see the Italian international leave.
It's often said that it's never wise to burn bridges, but somehow during his professional career, Balotelli has managed to do just that. His departure from Milan, a club he had admitted to supporting during his time at Inter was on a sour note as President Silvio Berlusconi publicly referred to him as a "rotten apple" and the Diavolo were desperate to have him off their books as quickly as possible. Yet, ironically, after thinking they had seen the last of the controversial player, they now are the very same team now bringing him back to the San Siro after a disappointing season with Liverpool.
A desperate Milan forced to reconsider their options...
As Balotelli struggled to find his footing in England, with a dismal return of just one league goal and four in all competitions, the Rossoneri did not do any better, finishing in a poor tenth place and missing out on European football for the second straight season. Throughout this summer, Milan have unashamedly openly pursued Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahmovic, but to no avail. Meanwhile although new signings Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca have proven their talents with Shakhtar Donetsk and Sevilla respectively, the South American duo are untested in Serie A, and neither were able to make an impact as Siniša Mihajlović's men lost their opening game by 2-0 against Fiorentina last weekend.
With new investment allowing the notoriously stingy Milan board to finally splash some cash this summer, the expectation is to at least secure Europa League - although Champions League would be ideal - football for the 2016/2017 campaign. Despite not having won any continental silverware since 2007, Milan are a very proud club that cannot bear the unimaginable thought of a third straight season sans continental football. After two seasons and three managers - including former players and debutant coaching duo Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi - the onus is on the manager and players to secure a top-flight finish, and nothing less will be considered acceptable by the demanding Berlusconi nor the team's frustrated fan-base.
...but is the return of the "Prodigal Son" worth the risk?
The return of Balotelli will surely split opinion, just as he has always done. However, a look at the stats do sway things in his favor. For starters, in his first half season with Milan after signing in January, the enigmatic attacker netted 12 times in just 13 league appearances, which helped propel the team to a Champions League spot after Stephan El Shaarawy's impressive performances during the first half of the 2013/2014 campaign.
In his first few months back in Italy, Balotelli netted 12 goals and would go on to score 18 more in his first full term with Milan
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The following season, he scored a total of 18 goals in 41 appearances - the highest ever in his professional career to date, despite having to work under two different managers following Massimiliano Allegri's January 2014 dismissal and Seedorf's introduction. In total, Balotelli netted 30 goals in just 1.5 seasons - the same amount during his 2.5 terms with Manchester City - except making just 54 total appearances versus the 80 during his time at the Etihad.
To compare this to Milan's striking options, new signing Jeremy Menez scored a total of 16 during his first term last season after signing with PSG. Whilst this is a solid output in the highly defensive Italian league, his other attacking colleagues' numbers were, to put it frankly, simply embarassing. With the exception of El Shaarawy, who suffered from numerous injuries, the other options of Giampaolo Pazzini, Mattia Destro, Fernando Torres, and Alessio Cerci contributed a grand total of ten goals across all competitions.
Perhaps one ought to be a bit fair to Torres and Cerci, both of whom featured for just half a season before swapping places at Milan and Atletico Madrid, but Pazzini in particular, who made 28 appearances just netted five, with four of those coming from league play - a poor return considering his experience level in Italian football's top flight.
With all the above players - save for Cerci and Menez - having either moved on due to contract expiry or loans, and the former PSG and Roma man out with an injury, Milan's striking options are looking a bit thin. Despite the return of youngster M'Baye Niang from his loan spell with Genoa, he is still a largely unfinished product and is still not ready to be tasked with leading the line for a team expected to qualify for European football next term. And as mentioned previously, with new boys Luiz Adriano and Bacca needing time to become adjusted to their new surroundings, the team will need someone who has a proven track record of finding the goals to help them work their way up the table.
What can Milan and Balotelli gain from this reunion, and will it be a mutually beneficial agreement?
Certainly, Balotelli does represent a calculated risk, which Milan have attempted to mitigate by bringing him back to the San Siro on a loan deal. Still, despite Berlusconi's public critique, Super Mario did stay largely controversy free whilst with the Rossoneri, making the club president's words appear to be more than a cheap parting shot than actually holding any real value. It is reported that the player himself pleaded his case to the team's new Serbian tactician, who appears to want to give him one last chance to get his floundering career back on track.
From a personal perspective, there is also the issue of EURO 2016 with the Azzurri, and redeeming himself in the eyes of Antonio Conte. From a team perspective, the loan deal will not cost them anything, so if things should go sour, there will be no repercussions financially. Indeed, although the Rossoneri certainly can use his talents up front, Balotelli needs them far more than they need him. Given that he will be approaching 26 by the time the EURO tournament gets underway, let's hope that his second coming will prove to be a fruitful one - both for the club, and more important, for the player himself.
