Mario Balotelli is the gift that keeps on giving to journalists, as Roberto Mancini left out the Italian star after a night out in Manchester before City took on Real Madrid, The Daily Mail reports.
As punishment, the 22-year-old was forced to travel to the Spanish capital knowing he would not play any part in the match at the Bernabeu.
He was pictured with boxer Amir Khan at the Circle Club after City’s 1-1 draw with Stoke, against the wishes of Mancini, who asked the player to rest ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match.
It is the latest bad publicity for the club in a string of incidents involving the Italian, with perhaps the most notable of them all occurring after friends set off fireworks in his bathroom, causing a fire.
Balotelli has also been caught smoking on a number of occasions, both in and out of work, reportedly refusing Mancini’s advice to seek counselling or hypnotherapy on the issue.
A source told the Daily Star: “Mario Balotelli is in the bad books on two fronts – a very late night out after the Stoke game and his refusal to stop smoking. He and Mancini had words on Monday afternoon and it led to him being dropped from the squad.”
The former Inter Milan manager has so far kept the faith with Balotelli, but surely it is only a matter of time before his patience is exhausted.
