Newcastle United skipper Kevin Nolan has no doubts Andy Carroll is a better player than Manchester City loudmouth Mario Balotelli.
Balotelli, 20, claimed this week that he was better than Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas and second only to Lionel Messi as the best player in the world.
But Nolan said: " I heard about what Balotelli said the other day and I found it quite strange. But then that is him - he's got to be like that, I suppose.
"Andy is a lot more humble than him, he's a lad you can approach a bit more. Balotelli is a top, top player - you can't take away from him but I think his personal skills off the field need to be changed a bit.
"The main thing for us is Andy has got everything on the field and off the field he's got a lot going for him.
"In my eyes he's England's nextNo.9 for years to come."
