Mario Balotelli could have worn the Barça colors: What stopped his arrival at Barça?

The always controversial, but talented striker Mario Balotelli could have worn the FC Barcelona shirt. The Italian-Ghanaian had a brief, but symbolic spell at La Masia in 2006, where he coincided with a promising generation such as the Dos Santos brothers, Giovani and Jonathan, Bojan Krkić and Thiago Alcântara.

This was corroborated by the striker, currently without a club, in an interview for La Gazzetta dello Sport, where he fondly recalled his fleeting spell in the Barça youth team:

"It was very nice. They only taught us technique: control and volley passing, no tactics. It was a joy to go to the pitch. That team wasn't legal, we won 15-0"

Balotelli's fleeting spell at Barcelona: what prevented his stay at Can Barça?

Despite his brief stay, Balotelli made clear his great offensive capacity with eight goals in just three matches, demonstrating an evident killer power. However, his adventure in the Ciudad Condal ended sooner than expected.

The main reason was economic disagreements between the club and his representatives, which prevented his continuity in the culé project. This situation led the Italian international to finally sign with Inter Milan in 2006.

The '9' spoke about his pending dream and also showed self-criticism

Currently, Super Mario, known for his quality, but also for his inconsistency, confessed that he still has a goal to achieve in his career. He surprised with a statement that clashes with his more culé past:

"I still have a dream which is to play for Real Madrid"

In turn, with great confidence, he added details about his future as a professional player: "I want to play another two or three years in a team that gives me confidence, then I will finish my career with my brother Enock", he said.

Finally, he reflected on his career, admitting that "I could have tried harder in my career". He also regretted not having had more opportunities with the Italian national team, with which he made just 36 appearances (14 goals): "If I had had more chances, maybe I could have gotten closer to Riva (historical top scorer of the Azzurra). Someone didn't want me in the national team, but that's water under the bridge", he said.