Jose Mourinho called him "unmanageable" at Inter Milan. Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini ran out of patience with him. He lasted 18 months of his 4½-year contract at AC Milan.
Despite a history of controversy, red cards and underachieving too often, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believed Mario Balotelli was worth a £16 million gamble last summer. The dice were rolled and two months later, Balotelli is still looking for his first Premier League goal.
Swapping shirts with Pepe at halftime during Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat by Real Madrid saw the striker predictably receive disproportionate criticism. While unwise, little would have been said had Liverpool been winning and Balotelli on the scoresheet, but it was being outplayed by the European champion with the Italian anonymous.