Mario Balotelli has made Inter the team to beat in Serie A next season, but the striker named Roma as his surprise pick to gatecrash the title race.
According to Sport Mediaset, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Balotelli, now with Al-Ittifaq in Dubai, predicted champions Inter to remain at the summit while singling out an outsider.
Asked whether Napoli, Milan and Juventus were genuine contenders, he replied: “Yes, but I want to add a surprise: Roma.” On the reigning champions, he was unequivocal: “Inter remain the team to beat.”
That verdict chimed with his admiration for former Inter teammate Cristian Chivu, now in the San Siro dugout.
“He was always switched on, even as a player, already a coach on the pitch, tactically ready and intelligent,” Balotelli said of the man he won the 2010 treble alongside.
Balotelli reveals near-Juventus move and backs Allegri at Napoli
The former Manchester City man also lifted the lid on a transfer that never materialised.
“Yes, after Manchester City. Then I ended up at Milan, so no regrets, it was a choice,” he said. “Of course, that Juventus side was strong.”
He had warm words, too, for Massimiliano Allegri as the coach starts afresh at Napoli. “Recently I’ve read a lot of criticism of him, but when I had him at Milan I liked him a great deal,” Balotelli said. “If he’s still that man, he’ll do well.”
There was a more sombre note when talk turned to the national side. Balotelli remains Italy’s last World Cup scorer, a mark unbroken since 2014, with the Azzurri absent from a third straight tournament this summer, and he took no pride in it.
“It’s nothing to be proud of, quite the opposite, it’s a sad thing,” he said. “Too many years have passed.”
