After selling one of the most controversial players in the history of English football for £75m, you could forgive the powers-that-be at Liverpool for playing it safe for a while.

Instead, the Reds are seeking to replace Luis Suarez with Mario Balotelli - a man once dubbed "unmanageable" by Jose Mourinho who tried to do just that when they were at Inter Milan together.

Balotelli, 24, enjoyed cult status during his three-year spell at Manchester City and appears to be on his way back to England in a £16m moveafter only one full season at AC Milan, the club he supported as a boy.

But other than a mutual love of scoring goals, and a regular habit of making the front as well as the back pages, what else do the strikers share? And what makes them stand apart from each other?

The glories

Just shy of £150m has been cumulatively spent on their talents already, so despite a list of misdemeanours as long as the Anfield touchline, it does not take a genius to see that football's in-the-know managers see something different in this colourful pair.

Balotelli's single Champions League success at Inter was blighted as Mourinho cast him aside for a lack of effort in training, but the mercurial Italian left the San Siro in 2010 with three league medals stashed in his expensive luggage.

He dangled a leg at a loose ball on the final day of the 2011-12 campaign for his only assist in 54 league games at Manchester City, though it proved decisive as Sergio Aguero lashed City to the title - Balotelli's fourth league win by the time he turned 21.

Despite boasting a glittering trophy haul to match the bling of his jewellery, on an individual level, Balotelli is unable to match Suarez, who at 27, is three years his senior.

The Uruguayan shared the European Golden Shoe award - claimed by the continent's top scorer - with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14 and was voted player of the year by both his fellow professionals and the Football Writers' Association.

A season which included three hat-tricks and 31 league goals - despite missing six games at the start of the season through suspension - eventually tempted Barcelona into shelling out £75m for his services - despite that well-publicised biting incident at the World Cup.



Mario vs Luis

After arriving alongside Andy Carroll to fill the void left by Chelsea-bound Fernando Torres at Liverpool in January 2011, Suarez took 16 minutes to notch a debut goal from the bench. It was a sign of things to come.

A further 68 followed in the league, complemented by 23 assists, but for all of his headline-grabbing contribution and average of a staggering 0.63 goals per game, Suarez's impact on Liverpool's win ratio is negative.
The Reds won 61% of their 18 matches without him in the side, but only 48% when he was included.

Purely on a statistical level, Balotelli also hindered Manchester City during his time in the Premier League. His presence saw City win in 59% of their matches compared to 70% when he played no part.
The man who made his debut in Italy's third tier at just 15 has also been sent off for club or country in each of the last five seasons.

"Obviously he has that baggage," former Liverpool midfielder Jimmy Case told BBC Sport. "But I always want a side to have one player who their opponents will know is capable of anything, no matter how well prepared they are."



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Controversy aplenty


At 15, Suarez head-butted a referee while playing for his first club - Nacional - in Uruguay. It was a first of many blemishes on his CV.

A bite for Ajax, the racial abuse of a player and a bite at Liverpool, and a match-saving hand-ball and bite for Uruguay are just some of what has followed.

Throw in an obscene gesture made to Fulham supporters and a taunting dive when celebrating in front of Everton manager David Moyes in 2012 and his charge sheet is prolific.



The adoration by their own fans and penchant for sticky situations is not all Balotelli and Suarez share as both faced challenges early on in their lives.

Balotelli, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, was placed into foster care and adopted by an Italian family by the age of three, while Suarez, one of seven brothers, grew up in poverty in his native Uruguay.

Honing his skills in Montevideo, Suarez earned money as a street sweeper at the age of nine and left for Dutch side Groningen by 19 to follow his childhood sweetheart Sofia Balbi and her family to Europe.
Survival runs through the stories of both players in their formative years, with Balotelli eventually distancing himself from his birth parents.

The verdict

"Suarez is done and gone," added Case, who made 269 appearances for the Reds. "When I was there, Kevin Keegan left and I had no idea how we would get by but Kenny Dalglish came in. At Liverpool, we've seen Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres - there is always someone to pick up the mantle.
"Balotelli, at 24, is a superb talent and could be there and a hero up to his 30s."

Longevity and consistency in the career of one so volatile seems a distant hope, but Liverpool will hope a maturing Balotelli, who hit 26 goals in 43 league appearances at AC Milan can be controlled off the pitch and unleashed on it.

"You can't argue with the fact he is a world-class player and Rodgers has unlocked potential before - Daniel Sturridge had moved around a lot before signing for the club," added 32-year-old Warnock, who is now at Leeds United.

"If he gets the best out of him, Balotelli is wonderful business, but the first thing Brendan Rodgers will say is that Balotelli is not a direct replacement for Suarez and the boy is his own man."

Former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor told BBC Sport: "Balotelli is a player who can produce something from nothing, not quite to the level of Suarez but capable of those key moments to win games at the highest level..

Source:- bbc.co.uk

Well we hope to see a legend in balotelli @ Liverpool..

Finepaparazy: Well we hope to see a legend in Suarez @ Liverpool..

Suarez or Balotelli?

kultimate009: Suarez or Balotelli?

Ya balotelli, I meant to say..