Italy Star Reveals He Would Have Won Two Golden Ball Awards if Had Listened Cameroon Legend

• Mario Balotelli has revealed that not listening to Samuel Eto'o's advice during their time together affected his career
• The Italy forward believed he would have been more successful if he had taken the mentorship of Eto'o more seriously
• Balotelli has found his form in Turkey and was recently invited back to the Italian national team for the World Cup qualifiers

Mario Balotelli believes he would have won two Golden Balls if he had listened to advice from former Inter Milan teammate Samuel Eto'o.

The 31-year-old seems to have rediscovered the form that once made him the most talked about forward after moving to the Turkish Super Lig.

In an interview The Athletic, Balotelli was candid and revealing as he reflected on some of the decisions that affected his career.

"If I had listened to Samuel Eto'o's advice, I would have had two Golden Balls. At Inter it was the best of the best. There were guys like Zanetti, Sneijder, Chivu, and especially Samuel Eto'o. I learned a lot with Samuel. He took me under his wing like a little brother," he said.

Former Premier League star compares himself to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Football

"He was the only one who could spend more than an hour scolding me and the next minute giving me some tricks to be effective in front of goal (laughs). If I had listened to Samuel's advice, today I would have at least two Golden Balls," he added.

Balotelli and Eto'o played together at Inter in the 2010 season, and ended up winning the treble before he left for Manchester City. He also won the Golden Ball that year.

Mario Balotelli reveals biggest career mistake

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Mario Balotelli believes if he had stayed at Manchester City for a couple of seasons more he would have reached the legendary status of Sergio Aguero.

The Italian forward left Manchester City in 2013 after just three seasons in his first stint in the English Premier League.

In an interview with The Athletic, the 31-year-old stated emphatically that the biggest mistake of his career was leaving Manchester City.

Chelsea star finally breaks silence on twice rejecting England call up after Ghana interest

Football