LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2015: Liverpool's Mario Balotelli in action against Crystal Palace during the FA Cup 5th Round match at Selhurst Park. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Mario Balotelli’s strange career goes on with return to club 1 year after fallout

Mario Balotelli has played for seven different clubs since leaving Liverpool, with his latest move bringing him back to Turkish side Adana Demirspor.

The career path Balotelli has followed will be considered one of the strangest in modern football, particularly given his prodigious breakthrough.

Considered one of the best young players in the world while at Inter Milan, attitude and application issues have hampered him since, including a failed spell at Liverpool.

He only spent a season on Merseyside before being loaned back to AC Milan in 2015, then going on to join OGC Nice on a permanent deal.

After that came moves to Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor and FC Sion, with the latter switch from Turkey to Switzerland coming after an on-pitch row with manager Vincenzo Montella.

Adana had just beaten Umraniye 1-0 in the Super Lig when, walking off at full-time, Balotelli could be seen sending choice words Montella’s way.

Montella was infuriated, with the manager and his striker only kept apart by staff, and four days later Balotelli was sold to Sion.

But almost 13 months on and with Montella departing Adana at the end of last season, the 33-year-old has now rejoined the club.

It came after speculation over a move to the Saudi Pro League and the Italian having been told to train away from the first team at Sion.

Sion ultimately terminated Balotelli’s contract on September 14, with his free transfer to Adana confirmed the following day.

“Yes! I have come back now,” he wrote on Instagram upon his return. “I love you Adana.”

Balotelli made 35 appearances in his first stint at Adana, scoring 19 goals and laying on seven assists, which is among his best returns for a single club.

While at Liverpool, he featured 28 times, of which 14 came as a starter, but only scored four goals, completing the full 90 minutes just six times and failing to register an assist.

Speaking in 2016, Balotelli described his £16 million transfer from Milan to Liverpool as “the worst mistake of my life.”

“Apart from the fans, who were fantastic with me, I must be honest, and the players, who I had a good rapport with, I didn’t like the club,” he claimed.

“I had two coaches, Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp.

“As people they didn’t make a good impression on me. I didn’t get along with them.”