I stumbled upon this article that describes Ghana national team coach Milovan Rajevac's new pursuit of Italian striker Mario Balotelli. Balotelli, an Inter Milan forward, is widely regarded as one of the top young talents in the world. Having been born in Italy to Ghanaian nationals, Mario is eligible to play for both national teams.

Chamakh

Its Official folks. Arsenal are in a state of mini-crisis. 3 defeats in a row, the last two being 3-0 hammerings courtesy the Blues & the Sky-Blues. Injuries to Van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott & indifferent form of both Eduardo and Vela, has meant Arsenal are playing all their games with practically no strike ammo.

Yep, we're at it again:

• Club America and Landon Donovan? What?
  
• Wenger expects to make a January splash.
  
• Perhaps to get an RVP insurance plan.
  
• Yaya staying at Barca, or going?
  
• Gunners warned off Chamakh.
  
• Drogba no longer cares about Italy.

With the January transfer market still weeks away, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger started to rubbish transfer rumours published by the media, declaring the Gunners will not sign Italian striker Mario Balotelli. The Frenchman said: We are not ...

Something to read while you enjoy San Lorenzo's Gaston Aguirre's scoring an emphatically volleyed own goal. Brilliant batch of photo + haiku combos (Futfanatico) Top 10 Fabios in world football (Bleacher Report) Nunio Claro: Get out of his way (The Spoiler) Black Stars wooing Mario Balotelli? (Ghana WCB) Kelly Smith 1-0 Drink & Depression (Daily Mail) Fox Soccer Channel: Now with [.

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger seems to becoming short of patience with the fans that keep clamouring for him to spend millions on expensive players just because Arsenal have lost a few games. Arsenal have been linked with many good players, but with Wenger's philosophy of not buying unless the player is young and cheap, [.

The transfer window is soon to open and Arsene has said the he will be active during January. Each time the summer and winter sales come around he says the same old thing. We then all get our hopes up wondering who we are going to buy only to realise that when he says we will be active, he really means we will be selling!

While most of his team-mates drive Ferraris, Lamborghinis and high-powered vehicles, Balotelli prefers to use public transport and was recently spotted waiting for a tram to go into town.
Eto'o gets in Balotelli's way...

Zamparini il provocatore. Oltre che mangiallenatori, il presidente del Palermo interviene sulla questione riguardante Balotelli e tutte le polemiche sorte dopo i cori "razzisti" nei suoi confronti. Ebbene, il numero uno dei rosanero non vuole assolutamente sentir parlare di razzismo. Si tratta solamente di.

Since Juventus fans keep spitting racial slurs at Mario Balotelli, club president Jean-Claude Blanc thought it might be a good idea to write an open letter to supporters, kindly asking them to not be racist idiots so the club doesn't get in anymore trouble with the Derby D'Italia looming.

Writes Blanc:

"We want the two games against Inter and Bayern Munich to be a battle on the field and a party off it, with heated and passionate support.

Inter Milan travel to Turin to face Juventus and Rome gets all nutty as Lazio and Roma clash.
Preview
Juve were forced to play a game behind closed doors after fans chanted "a black Italian does not exist" at Palermo-born Balotelli in the corresponding fixture last season.

With the January transfer market still weeks away, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger started to rubbish transfer rumours published by the media, declaring the Gunners will not sign Italian striker Mario Balotelli. The Frenchman said: We are not ...

E' stata una guerra. L'abbiamo spuntata noi e ne sono felicissimo. Per il resto: arbitro inconsistente, poco calcio e troppo nervosismo. Il faro che brilla nella notte è Claudio Marchisio che con un gol bellissimo ha ricordato a tutti cos'è la classe. Con ieri sera spero anche che qualcuno si sia reso conto che tipo di persona sia Mario Balotelli.

That's Gianluigi Buffon getting in a shoving match with Inter's Thiago Motta in the confusion that followed Felipe Melo getting a second yellow card for somehow elbowing Mario Balotelli so hard in the chest that it made his face hurt. Momo Sissoko also tried to get in on the act by feigning a facial injury, but no one bought it.

Let's make something very clear right from the start of this editorial – Juventus fans who jeer Mario Balotelli are not racist. And nor are the large majority of supporters throughout Italy who abuse the 19-year-old.
The foreign media, and particularly England's notorious SKY Sports, have been quick to pick up on this ongoing drama and I don't need to tell you how they have presented it.

Mario Balotelli is quite the lightning rod for a 19 year old. The Inter Milan kid was again a side story in his team's bout with Juventus over the weekend.
And again, the Turin-based club was fined for crowd abuse.
Which begged the question to be asked over at Goal.com: is it time for Super Mario to leave Italy?

Watch More Football Highlights at MySoccerPlace.net

Mario Balotelli's nifty cutback sets up Samuel Eto'o's goal after Javier Zanetti's excellent wingplay broke down Rubin Kazan's defense. He then went on to hit a blistering free kick that swerved late past Sergei Ryzhikov's hands for Inter's second goal.

There were plenty of goals scored in Champions League action this week, but masterful free kicks took center stage.

Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo all delivered skillful free kick goals to help their teams win ans secure places in the Champions League Round of 16.

There were plenty of goals scored in Champions League action this week, but masterful free kicks took center stage.

Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo all delivered skillful free kick goals to help their teams win ans secure places in the Champions League Round of 16.

Image via AFP

Perché è Wesley Sneijder motor-boating the heads of his Inter homeboys Balotelli and Eto'o? We can vouch that Sammy is a cutie, sure, but save it for Yolanthe, luv.

Image via AFP

Perché è Wesley Sneijder motor-boating the heads of his Inter homeboys Balotelli and Eto'o? We can vouch that Sammy is a cutie, sure, but save it for Yolanthe, luv.

Three of the best goals this week were free kick wonders. The goalkeeping is questionable but that shouldn't detract from some brilliant strikes.

Messi goal against Dynamo Kiev:

Dynamo kiev VS Barcelona 1-2 messi goal- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Balotelli goal against FK Rubin Kazan:

Ronaldo goal against Marseille:

Xavi goal against Dynamo:

Play Beautiful!

The Independent has an article about Jose Mourinho not being particularly effusive about Mario Balotelli's scintillating performance against Rubin Kazan. He has had his share of run ins with the mercurial striker regarding his lazy attitude and diva like behaviour. So he held off on the praise.

Supporters call Balotelli a target of racial ignorance and fear in an insular country, while critics say that the real fault lies in his grandstanding attitude on the pitch that rubs people off the wrong way.

It's freezing down in Milan (and perhaps in Fiorentina too where the Rossoneri's game had to be postponed due to snow.) But of course, a man named Samuel Eto'o scored the only goal for Inter in last night's game against Lazio. Still, do these guys think they're in The Notebook or something?

According to Chris Burton at Sky Sports News, Inter Milan are not planning to sell striker Mario Balotelli despite interest from Manchester City. President Massimo Moratti said,

"I think they [Manchester City] have made a great signing [Roberto Mancini] .

La lista della spesa è pronta. Neanche il tempo di sedersi sulla panchina (esordio sabato, in casa, contro lo Stoke City), che Roberto Mancini gi presenta il taccuino con gli obiettivi di mercato allo sceicco del Manchester City, tale Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nabyan. Tanti i nomi (Balotelli, Maicon, Chiellini), ma uno in particolare ingolosisce lo jesino.

After saying he has no intention to sign Mario Balotelli and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had to also deny he is looking into signing Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy. The Frenchman, who did ...

After saying he has no intention to sign Mario Balotelli and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had to also deny he is looking into signing Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy. The Frenchman, who did ...