Manchester City veteran Patrick Vieira says they've signed a worldbeater in Mario Balotelli.
Vieira played alongside Balotelli when he was causing mayhem both on and off the pitch at Inter Milan.
City boss Roberto Mancini was the coach who first saw that the 20-year-old had an awesome talent to go with his fiery temperament.
Vieira thinks Balotelli will become one of the best strikers in the world if he opens his ears and closes his mouth.
"Don't believe all that people have been saying about Balotelli," said Vieira. "He is young, he makes mistakes - but he is beginning to learn from them.
"I think people around him have to help, make him understand when he makes a mistake. Maybe in Italy, he was in an environment where people didn't tell him when he was right and wrong.
"I think coming to England will make him grow up. He will have to learn to put his talent into the football club.
"We know each other really well from our time at Inter and I can tell you he is a lovely lad. I really like him as a person and I will do my best to help him because this club needs his talent. It is also an advantage for him that he is working again with Roberto Mancini because the manager knows him really well as a player and a person."
Vieira added: "Mario is misunderstood. He is not a bad guy. He loves football.
"But what he has to do now is keep his head down and work much harder than he has over the last few years if he wants to improve.
"I smile when I talk about him because he is a nice character, a lovely, lovely guy.
"Sure he's a joker - like every young guy he likes a laugh and to have fun. But with time, he will find out sometimes there is a line you do not cross.
"If he listens and learns he will become a great player. Let me tell you that he will score lots of goals. If he shoots 10 times, he will hit the target nine times and score seven. He is a natural goalscorer."
