Balotelli hits back at ex-Man City teammate Milner over ‘kid’ comment: ‘You exaggerate’ | OneFootball

Mario Balotelli appeared unimpressed by comments from his former Manchester City teammate James Milner, who compared having the Italian striker in the dressing room to dealing with ‘an 11- or 12-year-old.’

Former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Balotelli reacted to a recent interview given by his ex-teammate Milner to the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football.

Milner upsets Balotelli with kid comment

GENOA, ITALY – DECEMBER 21: Mario Balotelli of Genoa looks on during the Serie A match between Genoa and Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on December 21, 2024 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Milner was asked how it was to have Balotelli in the dressing room, and he replied: “Like having an 11- or 12-year-old in there, really.

“We were a group of lads in the dressing room, just having a chat, and he was in, and no attention was on him; he’d just do something completely stupid just for people to look at him. Make noise, do something random, smash things up, to get attention.”

Balotelli commented on the reel on Instagram, sending a direct message to Milner: “Wow, James, I think you exaggerate with the kid part,” the Italian striker wrote, adding an emoji to show his frustration.

During the same interview, Milner also praised Balotelli for some of his skills on the pitch: “He could finish. He was probably one of the best penalty takers, to be fair. I never saw him miss one in training for years.”

Milner and Balotelli played 42 games together at Manchester City.

Former Italy forward Mario Balotelli watches the celebrations after the UEFA Champions League final football match between Inter Milan and Manchester City at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, on June 10, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

They didn’t cross paths at Liverpool, as Balotelli spent only the 2014-15 season at Anfield, while Milner arrived in the summer of 2015.

Balotelli, 36, is currently under contract with UAE side Al-Ittifaq, while Milner, 40, retired at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, after spending three seasons at Brighton.