Balotelli: “I want to stay here, at last I feel in a good shape physically, I was surprised when Miha left”

Mario Balotelli said ‘it might have seemed as if I was not putting the effort in, but I simply could not do more physically’ and insisted he doesn’t want to return to Liverpool.

Balotelli was perhaps the best Milan player against Juventus last week in Sinisa Mihajlovic’s last match in charge and looked good again last night when the Rossoneri defeated Sampdoria 1-0 thanks to a 71′ minute Carlos Bacca goal.

Balo is on loan at Milan from Liverpool and he ‘promised’ Brocchi that there will be another SuperMario from now on. The 25-year-old striker is trying to convince the Rossoneri to keep him as he doesn’t want to return to The Reds, who bought him – from Milan – for €20 million in 2014.

“My future? What I want is certainly to stay at Milan,” he told Mediaset. “I wasn’t happy at Liverpool & I do not want to go back. I’ve been doing well in my last two games, there are another six for me to prove myself. I feel in good shape physically at last and am relaxed. Besides, Milan have the money (laughs)!

“The goal that doesn’t come? I’m a striker so it’s normal that I miss scoring but the important thing is to win. Brocchi and Mihajlovic? At a technical and tactical level, Brocchi has changed things as every coach has his own way to playing. We don’t care about what is being said about our locker room. I speak with Brocchi the same way I talked to Mihajlovic. I respect both and for me not much has changed.”

In an interview with the Milan Channel, Mario added: “It’s always important to win and it’s a real confidence boost. We have already started to see a different Milan side with respects to the Juve game. It’s never easy to play here at the Marassi, but we came away with the win. If I can always play like on Sunday? Sure. I have a great relationship with my team-mates and we’re a close group. Coach Brocchi told me to stay cool and composed. Scoring? For me the main thing is that the team wins, even if I don’t score.”

“I have been feeling better for the last two or three weeks, but I couldn’t give 100 per cent before because I wasn’t well,” Balotelli said in a post-match interview with Sky Italia. “Mihajlovic? Sinisa worked very well with the group. The truth is that I too was surprised when he left, as I care for him a lot. The decision came from high up, but this is football. Brocchi? I also have a good rapport with Brocchi, he is a person who understands players. For now he is doing well, I wish him all the best, as I do Milan.

“People said this match was my ‘last chance’? I don’t read the papers and this whole thing about ‘last chances’ is annoying me now. After the operation I was not well. It might’ve seemed as if I wasn’t putting the effort in, but I simply couldn’t do more. For the future I want to stay healthy, that’s for sure.

“The Euro’s? I wish Claudio Marchisio and Mattia Perin all the best [they will miss the Championship this summer due to injuries]. I care for them and this is really disappointing. If I was fortunate enough to get back into the Nazionale over the next six games, I’d do everything to go to the Euros.

“Of course I hope for this opportunity, as I suffer at being away from the Nazionale for such a long time. I want to prove to everybody that I am a player worthy of the Azzurri shirt.”