“I gave Balotelli a good beating because he deserved it" - Ex Inter Milan star Materazzi

Marco Materazzi, an Inter Milan star, has claimed that he gave former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli a hard thrashing in training and that Diego Milito intended to murder him.

Materazzi and Balotelli formerly played together for Inter Milan and Italy.

During his tenure at Inter, Balotelli was a highly regarded prospect.

“I gave him a good beating, it’s true. I love Mario [Balotelli], but he really deserved it that day,” Materazzi told Daily Mail.

“We have become friends again now, practically brothers, but he did something that day that he really shouldn’t have done. Throwing his shirt to the ground after the final whistle was not even the worst of it.

“Before the game, on the team bus, he told us: ‘Today I am going to play badly,’ so I promised to make him pay if he did. When he came off the bench, he tried a shot from midfield rather than going on the counter. Diego Milito wanted to kill him.”

The Italian player for Sion FC is skilled, but his antics often overshadow his abilities. 

Materazzi also said that he had requested that coach Jose Mourinho partner him in training with Balotelli. 

He added, “We believed in Mario [Balotelli]. He scored many goals and contributed to the victory, but a week after that, I asked [Jose] Mourinho to put me against Balotelli in the training ground games between ranks. After a few seconds, I’d sent him back to the dressing room.”