Mario Balotelli played for both Inter Milan and AC Milan and established himself as one of the biggest names in Italian football. The striker also represented Italy at major international tournaments and played an important role for the national team during his career.
Since his retirement, Italy have struggled to qualify for the World Cup, highlighting the importance of players from Balotelli’s generation. Despite enjoying spells both in Serie A and abroad, one notable club missing from his career is Juventus, a side renowned for signing many of Italy’s leading talents over the years.
Balotelli reflects on Juventus opportunity
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Juventus have built the richest history in Italian football and has consistently strengthened their squad by recruiting top Italian players, whether from domestic rivals or clubs outside the country. Balotelli’s career path appeared to make him a possible candidate for such a move, but it ultimately never materialised.
The forward has now revealed that there was a period when he came close to joining the Bianconeri. Although the transfer did not happen, he acknowledged that discussions had taken place before he eventually made a different decision regarding the next stage of his career.
Former striker explains what happened
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As reported by [TuttoJuve](https://www.tuttojuve.com/altre-notizie/balotelli-io-juve-passato-si-city-785147), Balotelli said:
“Am I close to Juve? Yes, after leaving Manchester City”
“Was I close to Juve in the past? Yes, after Manchester City. Then I ended up at Milan so no regrets, it was a choice. Of course that Juve was strong.”
Balotelli’s comments provide an insight into a move that could have changed the course of his career. Instead of joining Juventus, he chose to sign for Milan, a decision that he made clear he does not regret.
It would certainly have been interesting to see Balotelli represent Juventus during that period, given his ability and reputation in Italian football. However, whether a transfer failed to materialise because of footballing reasons or other considerations remains open to interpretation, and the move ultimately never progressed beyond the stage described by the former striker.