He cost Liverpool £16m, he’s paid a reported £110,000-a-week, it’s taken him just over 24 weeks but, finally, Mario Balotelli has scored a Premier League goal for Liverpool.
The Italian striker emerged from the bench to do what we all expected him to be doing all season - primarily score goals - and secure a 3-2 victory over Tottenham to shoot the Reds back into the top-four chase. With the side now just a point behind Spurs and three behind fourth-placed Arsenal, fans on Merseyside are beginning to believe that they can still salvage their season.
So now that the 24-year-old has opened his Premier League account at Anfield, we take a look at how his figures shape up, and it doesn’t make great reading for the forward.
13 – Games Balotelli has played in the Premier League this season, with eight of those coming as starts.
1 – Balotelli has scored just one goal in the Premier League this season.
779 – Number of minutes Balotelli has played in the league since arriving on Merseyside.
Liverpool 3 Tottenham 2 - player ratings
Show all 24
48 – The number of shots the Italian has had at goal in his 13 appearances.
56% - Balotelli’s shot accuracy, representing 26 of his 48 efforts on target.
6 – The number of key passes and chances created by Balotelli in the Premier League.
Balotelli hugs Adam Lallana after scoring a goal
169
– It’s taken 169 days (or 24 weeks and 1 day) for Balotelli to register his first goal in the league.
1 + 25,000 – A one-match ban plus a £25,000 fine from the FA after posting a controversial image of Super Mario on Instagram. Balotelli would immediately apologise for the incident.
Register for free to continue reading
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
Join our new commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies