Mario Balotelli: I’m at the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

The Italian striker of the Turkish Adana Demirspor Mario Balotelli compared himself with the Argentine Leo Messi and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and affirmed that the quality he has “is at the same level” as that of both football stars.

“I have missed some opportunities to reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, but i am one hundred percent sure that my quality is on the same level as yours”, collects the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport of the interview published The Athletic.

The controversial striker acknowledged that he has made many big mistakes throughout his football career, and among them he highlighted his departure from Manchester City.

“My head has led me to make many mistakes. One of the first was leaving Manchester City. In the year and a half that followed I did well at Milan, but City started to grow. I should have done like Aguero and stayed there a long time,” he said.

Decision that, as he assured the American media, has cost him a Ballon d’Or: “He would have been among the protagonists and, I am sure, would have won at least one Ballon d’Or. With the mindset I have today, he would have done it for sure.”

‘Play four or five more years’, Cristiano’s expectation

In addition, Balotelli spoke of the Champions League that he won with Inter and the league championship that he won with City.

“The Champions League is the best thing you can win with a clubbut that league won with City after so long in the club’s history, and also in the last second of the last day, was something crazy, “he said.

The Italian international returned to a call-up with the Azzurri this January after more than three years without participating with the national team and aims to enter Roberto Mancini’s list for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (R)