Mario Balotelli will buy you dinner if you find someone else like him

France Football published an interview with Mario Balotelli in their latest issue and the result was predictably wonderful. Touching on everything from his uniqueness to his zero tolerance policy for racial abuse to confirming that he definitely does have the overpowering self-confidence of a striker, Mario once against shows why he's so much fun.

From the Telegraph:

[Balotelli] said that at 21-years-old he feels like a child, an adolescent and an adult: "at the same time".

"I'm happy to be that way, and I hope I'll always be like that," he said.

He added: "I am different ... If you find another guy like me, I'll buy you dinner!"

But knowing Mario, he'll probably buy you dinner even if you don't find another guy like him.

On a more serious note, Balotelli also spoke of the 2009 incident when Juventus fans racially abused him while he was still with Inter before he scored a late equalizer to shut them up. And with mounting evidence that similar -- if not much worse -- incidents could happen during Euro 12 in Poland and Ukraine (see the BBC Panorama investigation into the host nations here), Balotelli says he won't stand for it.

"Let's see what happens at the Euro. I hope that there will not be a problem. Because I really can't handle that. [...]

"I cannot bear racism, it's unacceptable for me. If it had happened again I would straight away leave the pitch and go home. We are in 2012. It can't happen "

And finally, Mario ! would li ke to tell you a bit more about himself (via Sky Sports):

"When I decide to score, I score. I know I am strong, but I believe it is not enough yet. I can kick fine, dribble very well, but I still have to improve."

He added: "Yes, I think I am a genius, but not a rebel. I have my life, my world, I do what I want, without annoying anyone. I believe I am more intelligent than the average person.

"The talent God gave me is beautiful and wonderful, but it is difficult. Because you are always facing other people keen to judge you.

"There are few people with such talent, so there are few able to judge what I am doing."

So he scores whenever he wants, but he still needs to improve? That's an impressive statement, but the first part of it might have been why he broke up with Raffaella Fico.