<\/p>\n
Italian star Mario Balotelli is open to offers from A-League clubs, declaring the chance to play in Australia would be an \u201cexciting opportunity\u201d to add another chapter to his decorated football career.<\/p>\n
The powerful and technically gifted striker \u2013 whose goals have helped Manchester City and Inter Milan win English Premier League and Italian Serie A titles respectively \u2013 says he\u2019s far from finished and wants to add the A-League to a football journey that has also included stints with AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia. Monza, Adana Demirspor, Sion and Genoa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely very interested about playing in the A-League,\u201d the 35-year-old free agent told NewsWire.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a new experience for me. Absolutely my door is open if clubs want to speak to me about coming to Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n Balotelli said he had previously spoken to former national teammate, ex-Western United star Alessandro Diamanti, about playing in the A-League.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was interesting to hear about it from him. I would see it as an exciting opportunity for me if I could play in Australia,\u201d said Balotelli, who felt he had at least another two-to-three seasons of professional football left in him. If Balotelli was to play in the A-League, he would follow in the footsteps of Diamanti, Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) and Massimo Maccarone (Brisbane Roar) as Italian internationals to have plied their trade in Australia\u2019s top football competition.<\/p>\n Balotelli\u2019s representative Vittorio Rigo said his client was \u201ccompletely fit\u201d and eager to link with an A-League club ahead of the 2025-26 season, which starts in October.<\/p>\n \u201cMario would like to find a club as soon as possible because he knows how crucial it is to start preparations with teammates and to adapt to a new environment,\u201d Rigo said.<\/p>\n Leading Australian football identity and accredited FIFA agent Lou Sticca is working with Rigo in the hope of bringing Balotelli to the A-League.<\/p>\n \u201cMario would bring to the A-League what it\u2019s lacking \u2013 attention, interest, fascination,\u201d Sticca said.<\/p>\n \u201cHis reputation around the world is that he brings excitement to the game. He does some amazing stuff with the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople will want to watch his A-League games to see what he\u2019s going to do. Will he do something outlandish or something spectacular? Is he going to have a shot from 40m out? Is he going try to do a trick?<\/p>\n \u201cHe was one of the greatest strikers in the world, and he\u2019s still fit and strong. In the A-League he would recreate what Dwight Yorke did (with Sydney FC), what Del Piero did and what Diamanti did. He\u2019ll bring people to the stadiums.\u201d<\/p>\n Sticca was the key figure in bringing Yorke, Del Piero, Diamanti, Benito Carbone (Sydney FC), Kazu Miura (Sydney FC), Shinji Ono (Western Sydney Wanderers) and Hiroki Sakai (Auckland FC) to the A-League, with their arrivals having brought more eyes to the competition domestically and abroad. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd besides football, Australia would also a be wonderful country to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n