Serie A has often been home to some of the most colourful and charismatic figures in world football. It has also been home to some of the most controversial. The ‘bad boys’ have often graced Serie A providing the neutrals with entertainment whilst often causing the supporters of the clubs they’d play for to pull their own hair out.
Most importantly, they got people talking!
As the saying goes, controversy creates cash. The cult-figure players often have their own unique following, their own unique fan base of admirers who love the way these enigma-footballers go about their business – on and off the pitch. The bad boys are entertaining. They put bums on seats, get people talking and get people’s attention, which is what Serie A needs.
Mario Balotelli & Antonio Cassano are bad boys who’d fit the bill. The pair played a key role in Italy’s run to the final of Euro 2012, but have been on the outside looking in ever since the ill-fated World Cup campaign in Brazil last year.
Call them crazy, call them unstable, one could very well refer to them as The Lunatic Fringe and the other as The Charismatic Enigma. They’d fit the bill. Perhaps often overlooked is how well these 2 hit the high-notes when on–song.
Antonio Cassano was part of a Sampdoria that qualified for the UEFA Cup, a Coppa Italia final and the Champions League a few seasons later. Cassano would go on to win Serie A and the Italian Super Cup with AC Milan before switching allegiances to the the blue-half of Milan by joining Inter in 2013. At Parma, Cassano would once again shine as the Ducali would achieve a top six finish and rekindle memories of Parma sides from the glory days under the ownership of Calisto Tanzi.
Mario Balotelli has been a winner in his own right. Call him controversial, label him as crazy, the enigma that is Mario Balotelli has a trophy-haul of nine trophies to his name. Part of Inter’s treble-winners in 2010, he was also part of the first Manchester City squad to win a trophy for 35 years by winning the FA Cup, as well as providing the assist for Sergio Aguero’s last-minute winning-goal on the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League season. Balotelli was part of the Italy squad that finished second at Euro 2012 and third at the Confederations Cup a year later, with his performance in the 2012 semi-final against Germany being an international highlight. Both players are winners. Love them or hate them.
Italy has the chance to get the globe watching have bad boys. Waiting to see what madness either one could conjour next. With Cassano and Balotelli causing controversy, dividing opinion, but more importantly getting people to talk about their behaviour in Serie A is a good thing for the league. They will get eyes watching Italian football because one can expect the unexpected with the likes of Balotelli and Cassano.
With Ravel Morrison joining Lazio this season, one should hope to see the other two bad boys of world football in Serie A. Their behaviour will get the world talking, keep us entertained and never seize to amaze us with their antics. Serie A might not be able to sign-up the most expensive players, but it may sign up the most entertaining.
Nobody has stepped up to the plate and signed either one of these two enigmas of Italian football, one can only hope this will change as the league will be a poorer place without them.
The post The Lunatic Fringe – Why Serie A Should Embrace Balotelli and Cassano appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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