Mario Balotelli has never been short of opinions, and at 36, playing his football in the United Arab Emirates for Al Ittifaq alongside his brother Enock Barwuah, he has plenty of time to share them. In a wide-ranging interview, the former Manchester City and Inter Milan striker speaks with a calm, measured authority that might surprise those whose image of him is frozen somewhere around his peak Premier League years.

The move to the Gulf, he insists, was never purely about the pay cheque. "The president wanted to meet me, and we talked," Balotelli explains. "The project interested me. Everyone always says, 'You go to Dubai for the money,' but thank God, I'm not short of that. So money wasn't the only goal. The project was actually nice and competitive. I grew fond of the idea and decided to give it a try."

There is, of course, a more personal thread running through the decision. Playing alongside Barwuah fulfils a promise the two brothers made to each other in childhood. "It's beautiful," Balotelli says. "Ever since we were little, we always said we'd play together one day. He'd always ask me: 'If you play for Inter, Milan, or City, how can I play with you?' I used to tell him that when I got older, I might play in a team of a slightly lower level and maybe they'd give us that opportunity. It's always been a dream, and now it's coming true."

His assessment of football in the region is honest, if measured. The infrastructure impresses him; the atmosphere does not. "The stadiums are beautiful," he acknowledges. "The problem is the public — there's no crowd, which is a bit sad. The organisation is also lacking a bit, but I think they'll improve on that with time."

Italy's empty parks and missing talent

Where Balotelli is at his most forceful is on the subject of Italian football, a topic that carries obvious emotional weight for a country that has now failed to qualify for three successive World Cups. His diagnosis is rooted not in tactics or coaching philosophy but in something far more elemental — the disappearance of street football.

"When we were little, we played hours and hours of football," he recalls. "I remember my mum getting mad at me because I'd stay out until it was too dark to see the ball. Now, when I walk around cities like Brescia, the parks are empty. There's no one around."

He places the blame squarely on screens and a shift in parenting culture. "Computers, phones, and PlayStations have ruined a lot. Above all, the parents' mentality has changed. A seven-year-old kid today might play football for two hours every three days. We had the same structured training sessions, plus three hours of playing at the park every day, which felt like fun but was actually extra training."

For Balotelli, those unstructured hours were the making of him — and of an entire generation of Italian talent that no longer exists in the same form. "I truly believe talents were born on the street and in the parks. You played a lot, learned a lot, and tested yourself against older kids. Playing with people older than me has always been one of the most important things in my career."

The Manchester City chapter

The name Manchester City still carries a special resonance for Balotelli, who describes the feeling of playing for the club in unmistakably warm terms. His time at the Etihad Stadium — before his career took him to AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille and numerous other clubs — remains one of the defining chapters of what he himself calls "a very hectic career."

There is little bitterness in the man sitting for this interview, and that itself feels like the most surprising development of all. Balotelli appears to have genuinely made peace with the narrative of unfulfilled potential that has followed him throughout his career. He is not, it seems, haunted by the ghost of who he might have been. He is, simply, someone who loves football — enough to cross continents to keep playing it alongside his brother, in near-empty stadiums, at 36 years old.

Italy, meanwhile, might do well to listen to what he has to say about empty parks. The Azzurri's problems are, in his words, very simple. Whether anyone in power agrees is another matter entirely.

Frequently asked

Where is Mario Balotelli playing now?
Balotelli is currently playing for Al Ittifaq in the United Arab Emirates, a move he completed in January 2026. He lines up alongside his brother Enock Barwuah at the club.
Why does Balotelli think Italy keep failing to qualify for the World Cup?
Balotelli argues the root cause is cultural — the decline of street football and park games means young Italian players are no longer developing the same instinctive skills that previous generations gained from hours of unstructured play.
Did Mario Balotelli play for Manchester City?
Yes. Balotelli had a notable spell at Manchester City and has spoken warmly about the experience, describing it as giving him a 'special feeling'. He has described his overall career as 'very hectic', taking in clubs across England, Italy, France and now the UAE.