Marco Materazzi: Former Inter Milan star recalls how he punished Mario Balotelli
- Marco Materazzi played at Serie A club Inter Milan between 2001 and 2011
- He and controversial Mario Balotelli were teammates after the teenager arrived in 2007
- Materazzi recalls he was forced to beat the then 19-year-old Balotelli
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Marco Materazzi has come out to disclose that despite the fact that he is a very good friend of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, the player once received good beating from him.
It was gathered that the incident occurred during a Champions League semi-final involving Inter Milan and Barcelona where the Italian side defeated their visitors 3-1 at the San Siro.
Balotelli was just 19 at that time and he failed to impress having come off the bench late on and then after the game, he appeared to have insulted the club fans.
The teenager hurled the club shirt on the floor in a fit of petulance after the game which provoked uproar and his no-nonsense colleague Materazzi ensured the youngster learned his lesson.
Materazzi said on Instagram live as cited in SunSport: “I gave him a good beating, it's true. I love Mario, but he really deserved it that day.
“We've become friends again now, practically brothers, but he did something that day that he really should not have done.
“Throwing his shirt to the ground after the final whistle wasn't even the worst of it.
“Before the game, on the team bus, he told us: 'Today I'm going to play badly.' So I promised to make him pay if he did.
“When he came off the bench, he tried a shot from midfield rather than go on the counter. Diego Milito wanted to kill him.”
Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that controversial Italian star Mario Balotelli is on the verge of returning to his club Brescia amid a public spat with owner Massimo Cellino.
Balotelli's issues worsened at the Italian League club after being denied entry to the club's training ground.
The 29-year-old forward risks becoming clubless as his Serie A employers are considering severing ties with him following his failure to attend several training sessions.
The former Manchester City attacker was turned back by security officials who were manning the training ground.
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Source: Legit.ng
