Mario Balotelli joins OGC Nice from Liverpool on a free transfer - Twitter Reacts

By Scott Challinor

After failing to impress Jurgen Klopp since the arrival of the German at Anfield, Italy international Mario Balotelli’s nightmare on Merseyside finally ended after the forward signed for Ligue 1 club OGC Nice who; under the regime of now Southampton manager Claude Puel, finished 4th in the French top flight last season.

With the loss of last season’s star man Hatem Ben Arfa to Paris Saint-Germain, the new man at the helm at the Allianz Riviera, Lucien Favre, has made his move for the former Inter, AC Milan and Manchester City striker to add extra firepower to his side ahead of their Europa League campaign this season, where they will do battle with Schalke, Red Bull Salzburg and Krasnodar.

The Italian joined Liverpool in 2014 from Milan for a fee of £16 million, but will leave the club on a free transfer after a mere 28 appearances in two seasons for the Merseyside club. He had previously scored 26 Serie A goals in 43 league appearances for the Rossonieri, as well as 20 goals in 59 Serie A games for their bitter rivals Internazionale, before he joined Manchester City, where he helped Roberto Mancini’s Citizens win the Premier League title in 2012. He hit a total of 20 Premier League goals in 54 league games at the Etihad.

Social media was on form as always in the wake of the transfer, and some fans seemingly couldn’t wait to see the back of the controversial forward, with some scathing assessments of his time at Liverpool to boot:

https://twitter.com/mxgnolet/status/771069080459763712

https://twitter.com/quigleykarl/status/771069675144904704

His £16 million price tag from when he joined the Reds before leaving on a free transfer to the French Riviera didn’t go unnoticed either, and when the sums were completed, it made for some interesting reactions…

Whilst others wished the Italian luck at his new club, with one particular admirer seemingly optimistic over what Balotelli can bring to the Allianz Riviera:

And some even sympathised after the forward was frozen out of the team at Liverpool…

Though there were still some who already think his next move is a foregone conclusion, following the repeated controversies that have plagued the eccentric forward’s career:

https://twitter.com/FutbolMo/status/771069688407293952

Whilst the general reception from supporters out in France has been rather positive, the first hails the signing of Balotelli as “impressive” for Nice, whilst the second indicates this tweeter will be following Nice more closely following the Italian’s arrival, before wishing him luck:

Only time will tell as to whether the controversial attacker will find his place on the French Riviera and rediscover his form in Ligue 1, but with another platform to go out and perform and yet another shot at European football with Nice’s Europa League campaign, he will surely have to take his latest chance if he is to get anywhere near back to his best.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by Ambrose Carrow. https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/