After signing a contract with FC Sion, former Italian striker Mario Balotelli made his Swiss Super League debut on Saturday. The two-year contract is worth 2.6 million euros.
Balotelli’s arrival on the pitch at the Tourbillon Stadium in Switzerland was the highlight of the match. The roars of the home crowd welcomed the Italian from Ghana. Balotelli came on as a substitute in the 65th minute of the second half against Basel. The former Azzurri striker replaced Filip Stojilković, who scored the opening goal of the game 17 minutes after kick-off with a corner kick assist from French midfielder Denis-Will Poha.
In the second half, Balotelli came onto the pitch for Valais after Basel leveled the game with a header from Dutch midfielder Wouter Burger. Although he failed to score a goal in Sion’s 2-1 victory, the number 45 Balotelli made his presence known and received a yellow card in the penultimate minute of stoppage time.
a historical story
Balotelli reached the peak of his career between 2007 and 2014. In that time, he scored 66 goals for Inter, Manchester City and AC Milan combined. Along with his club career, Euro 2012 highlighted Balotelli’s international performance as Italy became runners-up. After that, however, the narrative of his career dissolved into controversy. A tenure riddled with criticism for wasting his talent due to his personal life took the spotlight over his career. In the end, Balotelli scored 14 goals in 36 games for the Azzurri. However, the forward has alluded to his return, reinvigorating his career.
Also, Mario Balotelli has been an official. Since he began his senior career with Lumezzane in 2006, his move to FC Sion will be the 11th club of his career. However, Balotelli’s spell with Nice between 2016 and 2019 was promising. There, he scored 33 goals in 61 games for the French Ligue 1 team. As Balotelli makes the transition to FC Sion, his latest transfer comes with his perks.
Managerial controversies at FC Sion
Surprisingly, the president of FC Sion has hired and fired dozens of managers since taking ownership. However, despite the fickle nature of the club, FC Sion have had their share of success. The Swiss team has been crowned champion of Switzerland four times in the last two decades.
Additionally, Sion’s ownership has had an affinity with Italian management, with former World Cup winners Gennaro Gattuso, who served as caretaker manager for a month in 2013, and Fabio Grosso, whose spell lasted one season in 2020/ twenty-one. Additionally, Claudio Gentile, the 1982 World Cup champion, also served as the club’s caretaker manager, but for one week in 2014.
Relationship between players and coaches
The 6’3″ striker Balotelli is coached by his compatriot Paolo Tramezzani, the former Italian defender who played for various clubs in the Serie divisions. Tramezzani managed several teams before landing the Sion gig in 2021. The relationship between player and manager in Sion will play in Balotelli’s favor as he looks to showcase his skills in a league where he can express his game. However, the Swiss club is notoriously known for its high head coach turnover rate. Sion has fired more than twenty managers in nine seasons.
However, the 32-year-old Ghanaian-Italian joined a club that finished seventh in the 2021/22 Swiss Super League. Furthermore, FC Sion’s biggest win in the 2022/23 season was against defending champions FC Zurich. A 3-0 shutout at the Letzigrund Stadium against Zurich gives Tramezzani the lead for the rest of the season. Also, their most recent win over Basel has Sion tied for third in the standings.
With three wins, two draws and two losses, Balotelli is looking to revive his career and lead Sion to another league championship.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Frédéric Dubuis
