Brendan Rodgers has managed several players during his managerial career; some memorable, others forgettable. One of his biggest flops was Mario Balotelli.
The Italian forward was signed from AC Milan to help rejuvenate the Reds’ attack. Super Mario’s affect was quite the opposite, as he managed only one goal in 16 appearances before being loaned out to the Rossoneri.
As a result, Balotelli became the punch line of a very funny Rodgers joke. The northern Irish boss, currently at Celtic, was asked at an end-of-season gala to name the best player he has ever coach.
Luis Suarez? No. Steven Gerrard? No. Moussa Dembélé? Sadly, no. The 44-year-old quickly responded with “Mario Balotelli” with the crowd bursting into laughter.
24 hours later, though, everyone was laughing at the former Liverpool boss. Super Mario must have found out about the troll, as he took to Twitter to respond to the Celtic boss.
His reply: “Brendan Rodgers you are also the best manager I ever had.” The Italian followed this text with a few sarcastic emojis and the word “amazing”.
Brendan Rodgers you are also the best manager I ever had. Amazing.
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) May 3, 2017
In Super Mario’s defense, he has turned his career around at Nice, helping the French club – third in the club – qualify for next season’s Champions League.
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