Mario Balotelli strange things". In 2010, he was photographed in the company of two noted Mafia mobsters. Balotelli gained a cult following after joining Manchester City. Manchester City supporters regularly sang a song with lyrics which made reference to his activities. Musician Tinchy Stryder recorded a song in Balotelli's honour, "Mario Balotelli". Balotelli has been the subject of numerous newspaper stories since joining Manchester City; some have been confirmed as true while others have turned out to be erroneous. Within days of joining Manchester City, Balotelli was involved in a car crash. It was reported Balotelli was carrying £5,000 cash at the
Mario Balotelli in his 14th Ligue 1 appearance, a 1–0 win at Lorient; he received a straight red card in the second half for insulting referee Tony Chapron in English. He was given a two-match ban (the second match was a suspended ban that would be triggered in the event of any further misconduct by Balotelli) by the Ligue 1's disciplinary committee on 23 February. On 25 June 2017, Balotelli signed a one-year contract extension with Nice. On 26 July, he played his first match of the season in Nice's UEFA Champions League qualifying round first leg, in which he scored in