Man City boss Mancini: What I said to Balotelli over fireworks incident

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has revealed what he said to Mario Balotelli over the fireworks incident earlier this season.

Balotelli marked the controversy by scoring against Manchester United and displaying a t-shirt with 'Why Always Me?' scrawled across his chest.

"I told him, 'Always you, Mario, because whenever there is trouble, you are inside it'. He said, 'Mister (Mancini pronounces it Meester, like Meester Fawlty) it is not my fault'. I said, 'No, I suppose it is my fault'. He said, 'No, it is not your fault but I was asleep when it happened'. He is a strange man. A good man, a kind man, but I do not understand him. It feels as if I need my own special translator, just for Mario," Mancini told the Daily Mail.

"He is an incredible player but he does not understand his strength, what he could achieve as a player. Maybe he needs more time. Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, these are the players whose talent is up there with Mario, but they are clever, they know the career is short and it is no use waiting until you are 40 before you realise how good you were.

"Mario first played when he was 16. He has, at most, 15 years as a top player and he is 21 now. He does not know how lucky he is at the moment. But he needs to arrive at that point soon."