By Egbe Emmanuel
Mario
Balotelli's OGC Nice contract ends in June, but in a recent cryptic
instagram post the Italian striker suggested he might be interested in
extending his stay on the French Riviera.
"Thank
you people for all those emotions of this year," posted Balotelli. "I
hope we can be together again ... future will tell."
That post is
testament to the rehabilitation of his career over the last year in the
south of France and also the Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivère's
decision to take a punt on the Italian striker.
Rivère
says the Italian striker's troublesome reputation is a far cry from the
"good guy" he has witnessed up close over the last year in the south of
France.
"Mario Balotelli has a reputation which I believe is not in tune with who he really is," Rivère told CNN Sport.
"He
perfectly integrated to the club. The Balotelli escapades, which
everyone expected, especially the journalists, never happened here,"
added Rivère.
Balotelli was once
one of Europe's most sought after young strikers, plying his trade at
Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool.
But
his propensity for hi-jinx coupled with high profile spats with a
number of his former managers led many to conclude his off-field
behaviour was a headache they could do without.
"Super Mario" famously set fire to his house
the night before City played cross-town rivals Manchester United in
2011 after setting off fireworks in the bathroom. There were also
reports he threw a dart at a City youth team player in the same year.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera
after the 2014 World Cup, meanwhile former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli
said Balotelli lived in a dimension that was "far from reality."
Now
26, Balotelli left Liverpool to join Nice on a free transfer in August
last year after being frozen out of the Anfield club's pre-season tour
by manager Jurgen Klopp.
Fifteen league goals in 23 league games
as Nice finished third in Ligue 1 to reach next season's Champions
League qualifiers suggest it's a move that has worked well for both
parties -- although there have also been three sending offs.
Hilarious moments
Rivère says Balotelli's more wholesome off-field antics have brought some welcome levity to the club.
He
recalls "funny videos" made by the Italian international as well as
"hilarious" moments, one of which occurred at the airport on the way
back from a successful recent away victory.
"Mario
was happy (as) all teammates were and he passed through the detector
sliding on his knees, just like he was celebrating a goal," Rivère says.
"Now, that is Mario Balotelli, and honestly, this is quite refreshing."
Rivère says Balotelli signed
for Nice after a lengthy conversation with him at his house last year
convinced each party the move was right.
"I
spent about four to five hours with him. Rightly or wrongly, I thought
he was a potential player for OGC Nice, he wouldn't disrupt the team,
and he would help us a lot on the pitch," Rivère explains.
"I had a good feeling with the guy. Maybe we have been lucky, I can't tell."
Career revival
Turning
around the careers of experienced big name players, whose form and
careers have dipped, has become a key strategy for Nice in recent years
-- and it seems to be working.
Mourinho on the enigma of Balotelli 01:35
Nice has achieved its third placed finish ahead of more monied teams such as Europa League semifinalists Lyon and Marseille.
"We
proved it with Hatem Ben Arfa and Mario Balotelli -- superstars signing
with us, who might be in trouble in other clubs, because a football
player's life can be tough sometimes, and who rediscover comfort and
enjoyment here, which will promote their hatching or revival," Rivère
says.
"But unfortunately, I think
that we are not the only club in France and in the world that is able to
do that. Far from it. However, this has become a kind of trademark of
OGC Nice."
Where a revitalizing season on the French Riviera will lead a rejuvenated Balotelli next remains to be seen.
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