Inter Milan Treble winner Marco Materazzi has offered his opinion on former teammate Mario Balotelli's career struggles.
Materazzi was with Inter as Balotelli was breaking through as a young player.
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"Mario is like a son to me: I adore him,” Materazzi told OLBG. “We have the same friendly relationship now. He still plays for Genoa. I have never seen a young player at 17 like Mario.
“He was incredible: he played as if he had five years of experience. Strong, fast, with fantastic technique. But he got lost along the way because at 17 he had already won everything.
“Then he went to Manchester City, Milan, Liverpool… at that point, he needed a kick, a reality check. He needed my rules. Back then, he wasn’t happy about that, but now he remembers me fondly. I believe I taught him the rules.”
Balotelli spent the past season with Genoa.