Over the majority of the summer, the name most frequently heard around these shores was that of a certain Mino Raiola. This Gentleman has been crucial throughout the transfer saga of the decade and has walked away with a cool £25m at the end of it all. The rise in prominence of the so-called Super agents has traditionally being typified by the influence Jorge Mendes exerts on the footballing fraternity and the recent rise of Raiola has been similarly drastic. With the agent seemingly the most satisfied of the lot after the completion of the transfer he has gone off and splurged on Al Capone’s mansion to give himself a little treat.
And after a mere fortnight of being the biggest divisive factor between two of the biggest clubs in the world- Manchester United and Juventus, the man is back again and how!
According to a shock-inducing report by talkSPORT, the Super-agent has supposedly taken it upon himself to come to the Super Mario’s rescue. Leaving his expensively furnished royal mansion for a day, the agent has reportedly offered Mario Balotelli to Manchester United. Yes.
Mario’s fall has been as drastic as the fall in standards of his hairstyle. Touted as the next big thing in world football after single-handedly destroying the German defence in the Euros 12, his career has shockingly failed to take off. Such has been his fall that 11 clubs this summer have rejected the chance to take the player into their ranks. The question arises that when all kinds of club around the world are turning their back on the man-child how does the shrewd brain of Mino conjure up such an incredulous scenario? Is it actually that crazy?
On various levels, the answer is a resounding yes! But after broadening our minds a wee bit, after disposing a chunk of our footballing sense and gathering a sense of sympathy for the footballer, we can compromise on our sanity and reason that a reunion with Jose Mourinho at the Old Trafford will be a thing of fantasy for many. Horror fantasy or romantic fantasy we leave you to decide. But with the blockbuster set-up Mourinho is undertaking at the Old Trafford a bit of spice and thrill would be an enticing and explosive option for the Premier League fans this season.
Trying to find a reason to all this madness, we can vouch for Jose Mourinho’s credentials as the only manager who can possibly revive his career. And if the former Chelsea manager fails, it will be a death toll for the Italian’s prospects of a career at the top or even an end to his footballing days.
Though all the hullabaloo has been over Ibrahimović’s goal scoring records and his arrival along with Pogba, the Red Devils do lack any sort of a serious established depth in the striker reserves. Rashford seems to have fallen a rung down the pecking order after Mourinho’s arrival and Rooney moving to the role in the case of an emergency will see the attacking midfield reserves a bit thin.
Mario Balotelli will be a perfect understudy for the similar styled, albeit a far more capable Zlatan Ibrahimović. It is time for Balotelli to gulp his exorbitant and ill-deserved pride and get back to basics. A goal here, a skill there and Old Trafford will not waste a chance in changing their tune and support the maligned striker and with Jose’s penchant for the fantastic aligned with Al Raiola’s new unearthed penchant for ‘making an offer clubs can’t refuse’, can we possibly see a front two of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mario Balotelli in the Premier League?
We can only wait and see.
