Mario Balotelli Barwuah (born 12 August 1990) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Internazionale.

Biography

Balotelli was born in Palermo and is the son of Ghanaian immigrants Thomas and Rose Barwuah, who then moved to Bagnolo Mella, Brescia. In 1993, at the age of three, the Barwuah family agreed to entrust Mario to the Balotelli family; the legal move was successively formalized by the Court of Brescia. They resided in Concesio, a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. According to Law 91 of 5 February 1992, Balotelli had to wait until his 18th birthday in order to request Italian citizenship, as his adoption was never made definitive, which he officially gained on 13 August 2008.

Club career

He is regarded as one of the games promising prospects of the moment, featuring in the international football press.At the age of 15, Balotelli was promoted to the senior side of his then-club Lumezzane, making his senior debut in a Serie C1 league match against Padova.

Internazionale

2006-07

Milan giants Internazionale signed Balotelli for €340,000. Balotelli showed his potential for Inter Milan in their U-17 squad, known as the Allievi Nazionali, then joined the Primavera U-20 team at the age of 16, of which he quickly became a key player. He then scored a tie-breaking penalty in the Primavera league final in a 1-0 win over Sampdoria. These performances have prompted high praise from several high-ranking people including Inter chairman Massimo Moratti.

2007-08

On 16 December 2007 Balotelli made his first team debut replacing David Suazo in a 2-0 Serie A win against Cagliari. Three days later, he featured in the starting lineup in a Coppa Italia match against Reggina and scored two goals in a 4–1 win.

On 30 January 2008 "SuperMario" Balotelli gained national news after he scored two goals against Juventus in the return leg of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, being instrumental in a 3–2 away win for the nerazzurri. He then scored his first Serie A goal on 6 April 2008 in a 2–0 away win against Atalanta. He scored his second Serie A goal only a week later, after a one-on-one with Fiorentina goalkeeper Sébastien Frey. On 11 May 2008, in a home match against Siena, which would have given the league title in case of a win, he first took a corner, assisting Patrick Vieira's goal, and then scored one himself, but it was not enough to give his team the scudetto as the game ended in a 2-2 draw and Roma reduced the gap to just 1 point behind the nerazzurri with a win. However, the following week, Balotelli played in Inter Milan's final game of their 2007-08 Serie A campaign, defeating Parma 2-0 and successfully clinching the 2007-08 scudetto.

2008-09

On 26 August 2008 in the Italian Supercup Final against Roma, Balotelli came on late in the second half as a replacement for Luís Figo, scoring in the 83rd minute. Inter went on to win the final 6-5 by penalties after the match ended 2-2. Balotelli then signed a 3-year contract at an age of 17 years and 10 months. On 4 November 2008, Balotelli scored his first Champions League goal against Anorthosis, and he became the youngest Inter player ever to score in Champions League at 18 years and 85 days (until that day the record was of Obafemi Martins, at 18 years and 145 days).

International career

Due to Balotelli's legal problems, he did not manage to answer a number of call-ups received by Italian national Under 15 and Under 17 teams in the past, as he was still considered a Ghanaian immigrant.

On 7 August 2007, five days before his 17th birthday, he received his first senior International call-up from Ghana Coach Claude Le Roy for a FIFA International friendly match against Senegal in the New Den Stadium in London, England on 21 August 2007, but declined the offer citing once again his willingness to play for Italy when he becomes eligible. He also stated his willingness to represent Italy at the international level once he will be able to acquire an Italian passport.

Italy U-21 coach Pierluigi Casiraghi stated his intention to call up Balotelli once he obtains the Italian citizenship. On 13 August 2008 he was awarded the Italian citizenship and has stated in a press conference on the same day his desire to play for the Italy under-21 team. On 29 August Casiraghi finally called him to join the azzurrini for the upcoming matches against Greece and Croatia.

He scored his first international goal against Greece U-21 in a 1-1 tie, then two goals against Israel in the qualification play-offs for the 2009 Euro U-21.

Honours

• Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti (Under-20 Italian Championship)
  • 2007
• Torneo di Viareggio
  • 2008
• Serie A
  • 2007-08.
• Supercoppa Italiana
  • 2008

Federico "Kiko" Macheda (born 22 August 1991) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English club Manchester United. He joined Manchester United from Lazio in September 2007.

Career

Born in Rome, Macheda began his football career with local side Lazio. However, due to Italian football regulations preventing under-18s from signing professional contracts, he was not permanently tied to the club, and shortly after his 16th birthday, he was signed by Manchester United of England, where regulations permit the signing of players aged 16 and up. Following his family's relocation to England, he officially joined the club as a trainee on 16 September 2007, and began a three-year scholarship in the club's Academy.

He went straight into the Manchester United Under-18 side, and scored the only goal of the game on his debut, a 1–0 away win over Barnsley on 15 September 2007. In his first season with the club, he finished as the Under-18s' top scorer with a total of 12 goals in 21 appearances for the under-18s, and even made his debut for the reserves on 26 February 2008, when he came on as a 68th-minute substitute for Gerard Piqué in a 2–0 away defeat to Liverpool. On 12 May 2008, Macheda earned a Manchester Senior Cup winners' medal when he was named as an unused substitute for the 2–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the final.

Macheda signed his first professional contract with Manchester United on his 17th birthday in August 2008. In the 2008–09 season, he continued in the under-18 side, while also making a few appearances for the reserves. Towards the end of the season, Macheda enjoyed an extended run in the reserve team, scoring eight goals in eight games, including a hat-trick against Newcastle United on 30 March 2009, and he was rewarded by being selected for the first team for the match against Aston Villa on 5 April 2009. With United 2–1 down heading into the final third of the game, manager Alex Ferguson substituted Macheda for Nani just after the hour mark. After Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for United in the 80th minute, Macheda won the match with a turn to evade his marker followed by a curling effort from just inside the area in the third minute of injury time.

Macheda was named on the bench for United's next two games – first against Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and then against Sunderland in the league – making his second appearance for the club in the latter game. Just 46 seconds after taking to the field in place of Dimitar Berbatov, Macheda had the ball in the back of the net for the second time in his United career, deflecting a Michael Carrick shot past Craig Gordon in the Sunderland goal.

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989, in Pato Branco, Paraná), better known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian striker currently playing for Italian Serie A club Milan. The nickname 'Pato' is in honour of his place of birth but has led to commentators calling him 'The Duck' following the English translation. David Beckham has stated in an interview after joining Milan recently that Pato will definitely be one of the best players in years to come. He is known for his blistering pace, acceleration, and clinical finishing.

Club career

Milan

Incumbent European champions Milan officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007. The transfer fee paid amounts to the minimum fee clause in Pato's contract with Internacional for €22 million.

Due to Italian football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until 3 January 2008, when the Italian transfer window and registration reopened. However, Milan was allowed to include the player in friendlies and training beginning 3 September 2007, one day after his 18th birthday. Pato made his non-competitive debut in a 2–2 draw against Dynamo Kiev on 7 September 2007 and scored a header. On 4 January 2008, Pato's transfer to Milan became official.

Pato scored his first Milan goal on his Serie A debut against Napoli in a 5–2 home victory on 13 January 2008. He scored his first brace for Milan, in a 2–0 victory over Genoa at the San Siro on 27 January 2008. Pato scored two goals in Milan's 5-1 win over Udinese just before the Christmas break, and managed to shine again with a brace against Roma the following matchday at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 January 2009, proving that he is a vital part of Milan's offense. His second goal really announced his arrival in Serie A, receiving the ball near the half way line from Ronaldinho, leaving Philippe Mexès for dead with a devastating turn of pace and delicately chipping Roma keeper Doni from a tight angle. He continued his impressive form for Milan, hitting 6 goals in 4 games including a well placed, game winning strike into the bottom right-hand corner against Fiorentina on 18 January. On 15 February, he scored his 11th goal of the season in a 2-1 defeat against home rivals Internazionale. On 26 February, Pato scored his 12th goal of the season against Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup, a game Milan drew 2-2, but with this were knocked out the competition on the away goals rule. Pato continued his wonderful form in the domestic season with a stunning strike from outside the box against Siena on March 15. He doubled his tally in the match by scoring a placed finish after rounding goalkeeper Gianluca Curci.

International career

After gaining prominence at club level, Pato was called up for the youth teams of Brazil. He helped Brazil win the 2007 South American Youth Championship, which qualified the country for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and has been selected by Dunga for the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[5] He scored his first goal for the senior team on his debut against Sweden at the Emirates Stadium in England on 26 March 2008. Pato beat Pelé's record of scoring a goal within seconds of his debut.

Personal life

Alexandre started playing indoor football (futsal) in his hometown at the age of 3. Soon his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paraná and, after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Grêmio, his favourite team as a child. However, his family decided that he should sign for Sport Club Internacional. In 2001, at the age of 11, he moved there and started sharing housing with 83 other teenagers that, much like him, wanted to make a name for themselves in the first team.

Since 2007, Pato has been engaged in a relationship with a Brazilian actress known as Sthefany Brito, 2 years his senior. They broke up in January 2009, and it is said that they both agreed on breaking up because they cannot keep a long-distance relationship. But the newest information is that they are back together, less than two weeks after they had separated.

Career honours

Internacional

• Winner
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 2006
  • Recopa Sudamericana: 2007
  • Brazilian U-20 Championship: 2006

Brazilian national football team

• Winner
  • 2007 South American U-20 Championship
  • 2006 Sendai Cup
  • 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's football bronze medal

Individual

• • 2006 Brazilian U-20 Championships Top-Scorer
  • 2006 Brazilian U-20 Championships Most Valuable Player
  • 2006 Sendai Cup Top-Scorer
  • 2006 Sendai Cup Most Valuable Player