Roberto Mancini: The Italian coach’s mother reprimanded her son after he missed the World Cup

The mother of the national coach said: “I would have asked Mario Balotelli. He has incredible physical strength and no one can stop him in front of goal.”

Mancini had called up the 31-year-old striker in January to join his 35-man squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, but in the end it wasn’t for the duel against North Macedonia.

Balotelli, who played his last international match in September 2018, has recently caught the eye with his fine performances at Turkish top-flight club Adana Demirspor. The former ManCity star has scored eleven goals and four assists in 25 league games.

Mama Mancini criticizes Jorginho and Donnarumma

But Mama Mancini not only blamed her son for it, she also took some guys seriously. “Unfortunately, mistakes like Jorginho’s have cost us dearly,” Polo said. The Chelsea star missed a penalty in each of the crucial World Cup qualifying matches in September and November 2021 against Switzerland. Both matches ended in a draw (0:0, 1:1), which ultimately resulted in Italy having to make the playoffs in first place.

Gianluigi Donnarumma also didn’t cut out the best figure in her eyes. “North Macedonia only has one shot, he might have saved it. But there’s no point in talking about it now,” Polo said.

Instead, four-times world champion Italy should look ahead: “Of course things could have gone better, but this is football. Sometimes matches are right for you, sometimes they are not.”