AS Roma legend Francesco Totti has revealed former Inter Milan defender Maicon high-fived him after he infamously kicked his teammate Mario Balotelli.
Totti, 41, was sent off for that action during Roma’s 1-0 loss to Inter in May 2010 and, though he concedes it was very wrong of him, the animosity towards Balotelli had been growing for some time.
However, equally remarkable was the gesture made to him by Balotelli’s own colleague Maicon, which only illustrated how fractious the Nerazzurri dressing room must have been at the time.
“My kick at Balotelli? He’d been provocative for years,” he told La Repubblica (via Football Italia). “He insulted me and the Roma fans. It was building up and then it exploded.
“It was a horrible foul, just to hurt him. But then, strangely, the Inter players didn’t confront me.
“As I left the field, Maicon even gave me five. The feeling was that even among his teammates, Balotelli created some irritation.”
Balotelli in France
After a disappointing spell with Liverpool – which consisted of 28 matches (registering four goals) across the 2014/15 season – the Italian, after a season on loan at AC Milan, relocated to southern France with Nice.
It proved to be a successful move as Balotelli has enjoyed his most productive seasons to date. Prior to his French journey, his most prolific campaign was 2013/14 when he bagged 18 goals across 41 matches for Milan, while in the 2016/17 season with Nice, he nearly surpassed that, amassing 17 goals in 28 outings.
Balotelli would not have to wait long to notch his personal best, in the season just gone, he bagged 26 goals across 38 matches in all competitions with 18 of those coming in Ligue 1 – his best return in league football.
His performances also saw him end a near four-year exile from the Italian national team, and he would mark his return (earning cap number 35) against Saudi Arabia earlier this year under former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini with a goal.
The post Totti: Maicon high-fived me for kicking Balotelli in 2010 appeared first on Squawka News.
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