MARIO BALOTELLI HAS reportedly ordered a life-sized statue of himself to keep in his Brescia home.
The AC Milan striker, who was fined €10,000 for making an “insulting gesture” towards Internazionale supporters at the end of the derby on Sunday, has contacted a local artist to make the statue, in order to “immortalise” himself.
“I have received the commission, but I’ve never met Balotelli so I am working from photos,” Livio Scarpella told Il Giornale di Brescia. “I presented several drawings but Mario wanted to be immortalized in a pose that shows him having scored a goal, highlighting his muscles and with an expression of defiance.
I have imagined him as an athlete from ancient times and the statue will be a mix of classical and pop style in platinum and coloured bronze with the eyes made of stones.”
Italian media have suggested the pose wanted by Balotelli is the one he showed off after scoring against Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-final and will reportedly be kept among other contemporary art items in the attic of the striker’s new home, designed by the architect Roberto Falconi.
Balotelli has made a successful start at Milan after his January transfer from Manchester City, scoring four goals in his first three games before failing to find the net in last Sunday’s derby.
That game finished 1-1 and Inter have been fined €50,000 by Serie A after fans racially abused Balotelli, a former Nerazzurri player. During the match, the Italy striker raised a finger to his lips when Inter fans made monkey calls and waved inflatable bananas at San Siro. The Serie A statement said the abuse started “in the 11th minute of the first half” and continued “in the 11th, 15th, 16th and 19th minutes of the second half”.
The club fine was not only for the Balotelli abuse but also for racism towards another former Inter player, Sulley Muntari, as well as offensive banners and fans’ use of a laser aimed at players’ eyes.
This is the second time this season that Inter have been fined as a result of racial abuse aimed at Balotelli. Italian authorities have long been criticized by anti-racism campaigners for not cracking down hard enough on discrimination in sport.
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