Former Man City striker Mario Balotelli joins up with Manchester United hero at new club

Mario Balotelli has returned to former club Adana Demirspor in Turkey after being recently released by Swiss outfit Sion.

The former Manchester City Premier League winner makes the 12th move of his career and links up with ex-Manchester United winger Nani. Balotelli left just 12 months into his stay at Sion after signing a two-year deal in 2022.

He scored six goals in 19 appearances for the club but has been let go early after a rocky time. He fell out of favour amid a spate of injuries and Sion were relegated from the top-flight.

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Addressing Balotelli’s exit, club president Christian Constantin told Le Nouvel Liste: “Everything was resolved in a very courteous manner with Mario. The document that we prepared is now in the hands of our lawyers who must complete it.

"Rather than talking about money issues, I would have preferred him to score the goals we hoped for. That said, it’s time to move on.”

Balotelli previously played for Super Lig side Adana Demirspor in the 2021/22 campaign, scoring 18 goals in 33 league matches. He re-joins on a year-long deal with the option of a further 12 months. Nani, meanwhile, joined the Turkish club after joining from Australian side Melbourne Victory in July.

Balotelli scored 30 goals in 80 City matches during his three-year stay. The most memorable of his seven City assists was the tee-up for Sergio Aguero’s 2012 title-winning goal. Since leaving City in 2013, the Italian - signed from Inter in 2011 - has featured for AC Milan, Liverpool, OGC Nice, Marseille, Brescia and Monza before his first stint at Demirspor.