After a wonderful two-goal debut with the red-and-black team, the Italian star was left out of the squad that faced Montpellier, sparking rumors about a falling out with his coach.

Has Mario Balotelli had a falling out with his new coach already?

The troublemaking striker was left out of the squad that faced Montpellier las Sunday, following his glorious debut with the French side against Marseille and a UEFA Europa League match against Schalke. Immediately, and considering his reputation, the rumor mill started creating a plot in which Mario had gotten into an argument with coach Lucien Favre. Nevertheless, Nice's tactician came clean about why Balotelli missed this weekend's match.

"He did very well physically in both games but he needed a bit of rest. He asked for it and it was the right thing to do," Favre stated.

"Super Mario" scored a brace against Marseille during his first match with Nice after completing a free transfer from Liverpool.

Following his debut, Balotelli is already becoming a fan-favorite, with fans clearing out all of Balotelli's jerseys from Nice's official store. Word even got out about local bars naming shots after the Italian striker.

Balotelli is expected to play the Mediterranean derby against Monaco, where he will run into another EPL flop: Radamel Falcao. A win for the Eaglets would help them leapfrog Les Princes at the top of Ligue 1 after just five games.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Montpellier 1 - 1 Nice

September 18, 2016 9:00amStade de la Mosson (Montpellier)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

This match was not broadcast in United States

International Coverage:

Follow the game on-the-go

Download our iOS and Android apps to follow on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.

Live Soccer TV App for iOS Live Soccer TV App for Android