Tell the City Fans That When I Hear Them Chant My Name I'm Smiling Inside ; Mario Balotelli has a Reputation for Being Surly and Divisive. But in a Rare Interview He Claims His Image Is Far From the Truth Exclusive Interview

Summary

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MARIO BALOTELLI wants to know if the rumours are true. 'I have heard that people are betting on how quickly I will end up in prison,' he says. 'Is this true? It's all over the internet.' The 20- year-old striker may have brought a reputation for petulance -- some would say wildness - with him when he joined Manchester City in a Pounds 24million move from Inter Milan last August, but the young Italian is at pains to stress that his sights are on a Premier League title not a spell inside.

He insists that the image many in football have of him as troublesome and divisive is unfair and untrue, although training- ground scuffles, notably with City team-mate Nigel de Jong, clashes with managers, including a difficult relationship at Inter with Jose Mourinho and the odd brush with the law over his driving have not helped his cause.

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Tell the City Fans That When I Hear Them Chant My Name I'm Smiling Inside ; Mario Balotelli has a Reputation for Being Surly and Divisive. But in a Rare Interview He Claims His Image Is Far From the Truth Exclusive Interview

Others have spoken of the positives Balotelli can bring to the game. Carlo Ancelotti, manager of title rivals Chelsea, says: 'He is one of the best young players in Europe, he has got everything to be successful in the Premier League. It is up to him to become more mature. But if he can play every week, he will soon become one of the most important players in the league.'

Another fellow Italian, Roberto Mancini, his manager at City, goes even further. 'This is a player with such potential that, if he fulfils it, he could be decisive ...

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