It was a brilliant overhead kick that deserved a special celebration – and, as ever, Mario Balotelli did not disappoint.
Accustomed to making headlines, Balotelli found an innovative way to once again draw attention to himself by filming his goal celebration and uploading it to his Instagram story.
The Italy striker, 28, had scored a stunning overhead kick Sunday for Marseille to give his side the lead against Saint-Etienne – his team would go on to win the Ligue 1 match 2-0 – and proceeded to collect his phone from a cameraman pitchside.
Balotelli’s post has had nearly two million views on Instagram, while on Twitter the video has been liked over 42,000 times. Bravo, Mario.
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It is not the first time the former Inter Milan, Liverpool and Manchester City striker has made headlines for his goal celebrations.
When at City, the forward lifted his shirt after scoring against Manchester United to reveal a T-shirt with “Why always me?” written on the front, a reference to his unique way of becoming the focus of attention both on and off the field.
He would later say that the T-shirt, which is one of the most memorable moments in English Premier League history, was a plea to critics and the paparazzi to “just leave me alone.”
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But Balotelli isn’t the first footballer to mark a goal on social media.
Former Roma and Italy striker Francesco Totti took a picture of himself celebrating after scoring against Lazio in the Rome derby in 2015.
