Relations between Patrick Vieira and Mario Balotelli have never been good. The two players were teammates at Inter and Manchester City, then the Blues legend coached the Italian international at OGC Nice, which Balotelli left in January 2019 due to poor relations with the French coach. In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2021, Vieira said: “Mario’s mentality is not suitable for a team sport like football. I wanted to bring ethics and compactness, but it was very difficult for me to work with him. The situation had become unmanageable for both of us, which is why we decided to separate“.
Far from letting himself be carried away with his strong character, Super Mario responded in the columns of SoFoot a few years later:I lived in Villefranche, it was crazy. I smiled every day, I went to the seaside every day. A dream life. The problem was that Vieira’s way of playing didn’t suit me. I got along well with him, but sportingly I didn’t agree. If I hadn’t had these problems with him, I would never have left Nice. I was really happy there“. The reunion risks being frosty in Liguria, while Patrick Vieira also affirmed in 2018 that he wanted “answer him, stick him to the wall or coat rack“.
