Former AC Milan striker Kevin-Prince Boateng has declared Mario Balotelli had Ballon d'Or talent.

Boateng played with Adana Demirspor striker Balotelli at Milan.

He told TVPlay: "I love Balotelli, for me he could have won the Ballon d'Or three times. He needed someone like me every day or people to point him in the right direction.

"(Rafael) Leao is very strong, but Mario was on another level, he was a phenomenon.

"He showed what he could do, I played with him and saw what he can do when he's serious. We all know what he could do, then not everyone manages to play for many years at the highest level, but for me, when he was at the top, he was in the five best strikers in the world."