Mario Balotelli open up about not being at home during infamous 2011 fireworks accident

Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has revealed that he was not at home during the infamous blaze caused by fireworks on the eve of the Manchester derby in 2011. Balotelli was unveiled as Greater Manchester's ambassador for firework safety a week after the incident in his home in 2011. In a recent interview, the Italian striker opened up on his past incidents and described them as ‘fantasy.’

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Mario Balotelli fireworks: Manchester City strikes claims he wasn't home during the blaze

Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has claimed he wasn't even at home on the night fireworks caused a blaze at his house on the eve of the Manchester derby in 2011. Police and fire crews appeared at Balotelli's £3 million Cheshire home in the wee hours of October 23, 2011, after fire caught one of his restrooms. There was widespread damage to that room as well as a bedroom and the hallway. It took ten firefighters with dedicated breathing equipment to put out the substantial blaze, which left the former Inter Milan player with a £400,000 repair bill.

The incident came the night before Manchester City's famous 6-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, where Mario Balotelli celebrated scoring by revealing a t-shirt reading 'Why Always Me?' Balotelli, who played at the Etihad Stadium between 2010 and 2013, has claimed he wasn't even there when the episode happened.

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Mario Balotelli controversy: Former Manchester City star urges media to get facts right

In a report by Italian newspaper Corriere Dello Sport, Mario Balotelli has taken a jibe at media for reporting inappropriate news about him. He said that he had been involved in at most three accidents, while the rest are all fantasy, prejudice and fairytale. Mario Balotelli, who now plays for Brescia in Serie A, listed a catalogue of other incidents, such as his involvement in a car crash at 6 am on New Year's Day and a late night out in Padua. He said that he wasn’t in the car when the accident happened while adding that he did spend the evening in Padua because there was no training scheduled for the next day. Balotelli urged the media not to create a scandal for nothing and just ask him for accurate information.

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Mario Balotelli controversy: Former Manchester City striker and his penchant for mischief

Mario Balotelli has also been involved in many other controversial moments during his playing career, including throwing darts at a youth team player during a training ground prank at Manchester City. While playing in France for Nice in 2017, Balotelli was caught by police after racing in his Ferrari against a friend's Lamborghini at speeds of 125mph and above on the A4 highway near Vicenza in northern Italy. He had picked up 18 fines for traffic offences in the space of two years in Italy in 2012 and 2013, most of them being for speeding.

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