It's May 2025. With a rather casual nonchalance, Mario Balotelli announced the end of his journey in European football with a smile, during a wonderful interview with Italian state television Rai. "I'm a little tired of everything that happens around European football," he said. Asked where he'd be heading next, he announced: "America. I would like to play for another two or three years before I stop."
It sounded less like a departure and more a quiet retreat. Perhaps this really was the last dance for a player who, for most of his football career, had been battling with the world, as well as demons within himself. Balotelli, soon to be 35 years old, was, at one stage of his career, considered to be the most interesting personality within the entire sport. And at the same time, he was viewed by many as being an unruly rogue who made far too little of his talent.
Rebel United brings you the story of one of football's most talented, and highly-strung, enigmas.