Mario Balotelli - Balotelli Challenging Minds With His Feet - The Associated Press - Column

By JOHN LEICESTER, AP Sports Columnist

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) The ignoramus who scrawled "non sei un vero italiano, sei un africano nero" "You may not be an absolute Italian, a person really are a charcoal African" on the walls near the San Siro stadium with Milan. Did he, in spite of himself, leap off his lounge throughout delight when Mario Balotelli thumped dwelling his intention with regard to Italy with a potent nod involving their shaven ebony scalp along with put their own nation into your final of Europe's top soccer tournament?

One hopes so.

And the hooligans inside Rome exactly who hurled lots of bananas in to a bar when Balotelli and also other youthful Italy competitors have been relaxing a very few summers back, prompting this owner to be able to telephone this police. Did they, regardless of themselves, yell with enjoyment while Balotelli aplauded his / her next target against Germany inside semifinal, bringing away from his or her pink Italy jersey to proudly showcase his ebony body connected with muscle mass and sinews ridged like heavy rope?

Again, one particular hopes so.

And the particular idiots in this article from this Euros in addition to back Italy who may have booed along with howled like apes at Balotelli simply because he could be black. Did they, despite themselves, look twinges associated with shame, plus ended up that they moved as soon as his adoptive mother cradled the girl boy in a very long, tiny massiv once the experience with his life, your ex white-colored hands lovingly stroking a back corner connected with his guitar's neck in addition to their Mohican-style strip associated with dyed-blonde hair?

Please, yes, one particular genuinely dreams so.

One of the excellent virtues connected with hobby has always been that it translates into heroes whom change just how men and women believe as well as expose people that refuse to. With their exploits, their own activism or even both, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius, Aborigine Olympic champ Cathy Freeman and other sporting activities pioneers too a lot of to name have applied the particular noses of bigots, sexists, homophobes and the normally small-minded in the filth that belongs to them ugliness, silencing a variety of them in addition to enlightening others.

Balotelli, with their brilliance within the industry and their self-worth and great humor off it, is now doing that, too, by means of glowing similar to nobody else along at the European Championship which has on target interest around the racism that still blights the particular continent's favorite sport, in addition to which usually orgasms Sunday considering the very last between Italy and Spain.

The role is just not one Balotelli possesses lobbied for, wholeheartedly embraced or even is definitely obviously suited for. For starters, they have young, merely 21. Before this tournament, where she has fascinated together with his cool as well as earnestness, they normally produced announcement a lot more pertaining to his immaturity as compared to together with his play. Notable items were any time this individual tossed a new dart from the focus associated with yet another gamer at Manchester City, his or her club inside England, or while a couple criticism trucks were called previous October in order to his dwelling south associated with Manchester in order to douse some sort of blaze they said appeared to be a result of good friends placing off fireworks in his / her bathroom.