Inter Milan’s young forward Mario Balotelli (pictured left) is without a question one of the talents a plainly adrift Squadra Azurra are counting on the revive their fading fortunes. Alas, the youngster seems a magnet for the headlines, not always for the right reasons: in the European U-21 Championship currently underway in Sweden, the 19-year-old scored the against the hosts, only to collect a red card in the ensuing minutes.
Despite Italy’s 2:1 victory, Balotelli lost approximately 13 rating points to see his overall rating drop to 76.51 points. Balotelli is in none of the FTBL’s top rankings, and his plank to beat in his next game will amount to 19 rating points.
Meanwhile, the man behind the second goal for Italy, Cagliari’s Robert Acquafresca, improved his rating past the 100-point plank and, unlike Balotelli, will play the next game against Belarus. Acquafresca will have a low plank of approximately 2 rating points, and a victory for Italy will return him in the Top 23 of U-21 players.
© FTBL