The three winners of the World Cup qualification playoff will be predicted by Gab and Julien. (1:03)
In a major blast from the past, the Italy national side has recalled Mario Balotelli after three years since his last international cap.
A special training camp has been set up for the Azzurri ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualification playoff against North Macedonia in March. A 35-man group that will be examined over the course of a three-day get-together this week will include a Turkish player.
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In 36 games for Italy, Mario has scored 14 goals, but his last appearance was in September of last year when he was taken off by Roberto Mancini in the second half of a game against Poland. Since the World Cup, the former Manchester City and Inter Milan forward has only won three caps. Even the man who helped lay on the assist for the title-winning goal in 2012 had seen enough.
After joining Nice in the summer of 2016 he scored 43 goals in 76 appearances for the French Riviera club, which began with a roaring return to form. His third season at Nice started in ominous fashion when he reported for preseason training two weeks late. The coach asked that the club allow the man to leave.
He played just 10 times without scoring a goal in the first half of the season, but he did experiment with a new hairstyle. After missing five games in a row, his Nice contract was terminated and he joined local rivals Marseille on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
In March of this year, he scored eight goals in 15 league appearances, most notably against Saint-Etienne, when he scored an acrobatic volley before streaming his celebration with teammates on his phone.
#allezlom💙 pic.twitter.com/xtoIVHB3Es
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) March 3, 2019
Despite his return to form, he was let go by Marseille in July of last year, despite the club needing to trim their wage bill.
The next chapter in the career of Mario Balotelli saw him return to Italy, signing a multi-year contract with hometown side Brescia in August 2019. He had to wait for his debut because of a four-game suspension he received for a straight red card after coming on as a substitute. He scored five goals in 19 games for Le Rondinelle, but they were not able to prevent them from being demoted to Serie B. He was branded "embarrassing" by club owner Massimo Cellino before his inevitable exit, although one highlight was the time he carried out his daughter with him on the pitch before a game.
Adriano Galliani, a former Milan executive, ran Monza, who were owned by former AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, and included a former Milan star in their squad.
In seven months with Monza, Mario Balotelli only scored six goals in 14 appearances, but he did not play a full 90 minutes until the summer.
He was offered a three-year deal by Adana Demirspor, a newly-promoted Turkish Super Lig side, in July of last year.
🔥 Ailemize Hoş Geldin! S U P E R M A R I O B A L O T E L L I #İkiDeli #Balotelli pic.twitter.com/UtQTJPKuH0
— Adana Demirspor (@AdsKulubu) July 7, 2021
In 21 games, he has scored nine goals, including in a 3-3 draw at Besiktas. He came on for the last eight minutes of the match and scored the fourth goal of the game before assisting on the fifth goal. In their first top-flight campaign in 26 years, ADS are in fourth place in the Super Lig table, just one point behind Alanyaspor.
He has played his way back into the international spotlight after taking a circuitous route. His shirtless flexing after scoring his second goal in the Euro 2012 semifinal win over Germany was his most famous goal celebration for the national team.
It's not the first player to be called back in from the cold after years in the international wilderness, with many big names returning to the fold after extended periods of exile.
The inclusion of Benzema in the Euro 2020 squad was a shock, as he had previously been removed from the squad due to his trial for alleged blackmail. In 13 appearances since his return, the Real Madrid forward has scored nine goals, including five in his last four outings, as well as helping the world champion win the Nations League.
Cazorla was told he might never walk again after he had his first operation on his injury. After four years of fighting back from the brink, eight surgeries, and one return to form, the maestro was recalled by Spain in the summer of 2019. He scored in a World Cup qualification match.
After the 2002 World Cup, Larsson retired from international football at the age of 31. He decided to play for Sweden again at Euro 2004. After scoring three goals for his country at the tournament, he retired, but was lured back out of retirement to take part in Euro 2008. We can only assume that this is the last time.
#OnThisDay in 2009, Martin Palermo scored the winner in the final minutes vs Peru to give Argentina an extra lifeline en rote to the 2010 Wold Cup.
Maradona's team would clinch qualification the following game in a 1-0 win over Uruguay.#PalermoHero pic.twitter.com/qQirhMBb39
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