Mere mention of a Mario Balotelli fireworks display is enough to get anyone running for cover, but it seems he’s learned his lesson from a few years ago.
The madcap Italian striker’s new year’s eve exhibition went off without a hitch, a far cry from the October 2011 incident that saw him set fire to his own home and cause £400,000 worth of damage after letting off a firework in the bathroom.
Household emergencies aside, those were happier times for Balotelli – the following day, he scored twice for Manchester City in a 6-1 win at Old Trafford, famously celebrating by lifting up his jersey to reveal a t-shirt bearing the slogan “why always me?”.
Following a hugely disappointing season at Liverpool, he is currently on a year-long loan at AC Milan but has made only a handful of appearances.
He even acknowledged his recent woes with this message:
I will wish you the best New Year’s ever, because this this year been shhh…. you know what.
That won’t stop him having fun, though, as you can see in this second video of the Mario Balotelli fireworks display:
“I said I’d do it,” you can hear him say, and indeed he had done:
Happy new year, Mario.