AFP/MIlan

 

AC Milan have officially tied former Inter striker Mario Balotelli to a deal that will see him remain at the Serie A club until 2017.

A statement by Milan said: “Mario Balotelli is officially a Milan player until 2017. “The club has bought Mario Balotelli from Manchester City FC and he has signed a contract which expires in June 2017.” Earlier, Milan welcomed Balotelli to the club following his arrival from City with a cheeky reference to the ‘Why Always Me?’ T-shirt the striker famously exposed in a 2011 derby against United. ‘Yes, always you’, was the headline on the Milan webpage officially welcoming Balotelli to the Rossoneri, a club he openly supported while playing for Milan rivals Inter.

Balotelli exposed the ‘Why Always Me?’ message after scoring two goals in an October 2011 derby against Manchester United. The message was generally believed to target the many media reports of the many stunts and incidents that made Balotelli a household name during his time in the Premier League.

Two days prior to the derby in question, for example, Balotelli set his house on fire after throwing fireworks out of the bathroom window. Balotelli arrived in Milan on Wednesday and said he hoped he could revive his career after a roller-coaster spell with the English champions. “I didn’t start the season very well with City so I am coming to Milan to revive myself and to do well,” said Balotelli as he prepared to return to Serie A in a deal said to be worth around $30 million (22 million euros).

“I have wanted to play for Milan for a long time, but I was with other teams. When this chance came along I grabbed it. I hope Milan can become a big club again.” Balotelli, who will wear the number 45 shirt, was set to complete a medical yesterday and be unveiled to the press today evening.

Meanwhile, Balotelli’s arrival will force AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri to reshuffle his side just as they seemed to be getting into their stride and adapting to life without big-name players. After a miserable start to the season, Milan, who host Udinese on Sunday, have bounced back to win seven of their last nine league games and climb to fifth in Serie A, giving them hope of challenging for a Champions League place. But amid the euphoria and chaos, there is a risk that the wildly unpredictable striker could disrupt, rather than improve, a team who has started to gel.

His signing also represents a dramatic U-turn by club president Silvio Berlusconi, who earlier this month likened Balotelli to a ‘rotten apple’ and said the club would not sign him.

“I have formed my opinion of Mario Balotelli as a man and I would never accept him in the changing room,” said the former Italian Prime Minister.

“At all clubs and especially here at Milan, the personality of a player is very player and if there is a rotten apple in the changing room, it will affect the others.”

Yet on Wednesday, Berlusconi’s chief executive Adriano Galliani was singing a different tune.

“I have always dreamed about presenting Mario Balotelli,” said Galliani after Balotelli arrived at Milan in a private jet on Wednesday.

 “Mario’s arrival has greatly strengthened our team and we are very happy. We have worked really hard for this.”

Balotelli, who played at neighbours Inter before moving to Manchester City, said it had also been a lifelong dream. 

“I’ve been wanting to play for Milan for a long time but hadn’t been able to until now,” he said.

Balotelli’s arrival presents the biggest challenge so far for the unflappable Allegri, who has so far proved highly adept in dealing with players regarded as troublesome, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho. At the end of last season, Ibrahimovic and defender Thiago Silva led a queue of players through the exit door as Milan decided that the priority would be to put the club on a firmer financial footing. With the team under less pressure to deliver titles, Allegri seemed to be enjoying the challenge of rebuilding the side with players such as teenager M’Baye Niang and 20-year-old Stephan El Shaaraway, who had exceeded expectations and is Serie A’s second leading scorer with 15 goals.