Watch as Mario Balotelli’s helium balloon is inhaled by the striker before he sings “Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool” in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
Ahead of the derby clash with Everton this weekend, the wacky Italian enjoyed one of life simplest pleasures and was filmed by a giggling friend as he sucked on the balloon and cheered for his new team.
As with any gas whose density differs from that of air, inhaling a small volume of helium temporarily changes the timbre and quality of the human voice.
And that’s exactly what it did.
Uploaded to Anfield’s latest madcap forward’s Instagram account, check out the story of Mario Balotelli’s helium balloon in the full video below:
Super Mario, making use of the hashtag #eliovoice, included the following message alongside the clip:
And for all the supporters and for my fans and for my followers on Instagram I say tomorrow:- LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL!!!! #eliovoice lol
The web encyclopaedia also warns on the dangers of the gas however. Should the player have been more careful?
Inhaling helium can be dangerous if done to excess, since helium is a simple asphyxiant and so displaces oxygen needed for normal respiration. Fatalities have been recorded, including a youth who suffocated in Vancouver in 2003 and two adults who suffocated in South Florida in 2006. In 1998, an Australian girl (her age is not known) from Victoria fell unconscious and temporarily turned blue after inhaling the entire contents of a party balloon. Breathing pure helium continuously causes death by asphyxiation within minutes.