For what until now had only been a (constant) rumour, it has now been confirmed: Mario Balotelli will be back on the Italy squad for the next set of international games! 

Four years after his last appearance for the Nazionale, the centre forward (33 appearances, 13 goals) will be back in his country’s colours. And in the same way that the club delighted in the call up of Ben Arfa for the Blues in his only season at the club (2015/2016), OGC Nice is delighted to experience that feeling once more. It rewards the former Inter, City, Liverpool and Milan forward for the consistency that he has found.   

In two seasons in Nice, Mario has begun Super again. Superb. With 43 goals in 65 appearances – ahead of the final game of the 2017-18 season against Lyon, he proves that the Gym weren’t wrong to go for him. And vice versa. 

The new Italy coach, Roberto Mancini (who managed the phenomenon at Inter and City), has called him up into his first squad. A squad that has 30 members. And given that football does things correctly, the King will be back with his country... in his Nice home, given that on 1 June, Italy will face France at the Allianz Riviera. Before this encounter, the Italians - who haven’t qualified for the World Cup in Russia - will face Saudi Arabia (28 May). A 3rd friendly against the Netherlands (4 June) will compete their games.

An opportunity for our n°9, a finalist at Euro 2012, to get back to where he should always have been. An out of the ordinary forward. 

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