If confidence were a tangible object, Mario Balotelli would probably feature on "Hoarders." The Italian striker returned to Liverpool training on Saturday after a less-than-stellar loan stint at AC Milan, but his run of form hasn't shaken his self-belief.
"I will win the Ballon d'Or," Balotelli told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera via the Liverpool Echo. It's a bold statement from the 25-year-old, but he did acknowledge he'll need to defy the odds to reach his goal.
"I know, the Ballon d'Or might seem laughable and I might not have done everything to be the best, but the important thing is I realized it's not too late."
Whether Balo will try and accomplish the feat with the Reds will be up the Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool board. The striker has yet to really fit in wherever he goes, but odds are some team would take a flyer on the Italian should Liverpool decide to move him.
He's still brimming with his famous confidence, but now seems to have mixed in a bit of humility. Will he win the Ballon d'Or? Almost certainly not. But it can't hurt to have a player that optimistic on a team. Or could it?
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