MX23RW : Tuesday, July 2 19:05:05| >> :120:12950:12950:

Stefano Okaka: 'Mario Balotelli was a failure at AC Milan'

Sampdoria striker Stefano Okaka believes that Mario Balotelli must take responsibility for the problems that he faced during his time at AC Milan.

Sampdoria forward Stefano Okaka has claimed that Mario Balotelli was a failure during his time at AC Milan.

The Italian international completed a move to Liverpool last month for a reported fee of £16m, after spending 18 months at the San Siro.

"Is the fact Balotelli left Serie A for England a failure for our football? No, if anything he is the one who failed," Okaka told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Does he think great champions were never under pressure? When Ibrahimovic was in Italy, he scored 30 goals per season.

"He mustn't keep looking to blame others. Mario is a great player, but if he had problems in Italy then half the responsibility is his.

"At times in life you need to stop and look inside yourself. The fact remains he is a great player and this new English experience might help him rediscover the hunger he once had."

Okaka scored for Sampdoria in his club's 2-0 win over Torino this afternoon.

ID:176747: cacheID:176747:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1998:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Sampdoria's Manolo Gabbiadini celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal against Livorno during their Serie A match on March 9, 2014
Read Next:
Sampdoria see off Torino
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!