It wasn't meant to end like this.
Last year, the Premier League's prodigal son had returned. His on-pitch and off-pitch performances with Manchester City had made him the perfect embodiment of Premier League excess. There were stories of firing fireworks at youth team players, there were outrageous goals and there were red cards. It seemed like British football had a new hero.
After a eighteen months exiled in his native Italy, Liverpool's signing of Mario Balotelli was one of the headline moves of last year's transfer window. It seemed to be win-win. He was either going to bang in the goals for Liverpool or keep the fans constantly entertained with his antics. Sadly, neither happened. He only scored once in the league and he managed to stay relatively well behaved and now, a year later, he leaves these shores for probably the last time with the meekest of goodbyes: a season long loan.
But why didn't Balotelli's triumphant return to British football work out? Where did it all go so wrong for him? His year at Liverpool is a series of missed chances, brief resurrections and stupid mistakes. Here are some of them.
Brendan Rodgers never wanted him apparently
He only started one game with Daniel Sturridge
Balotelli's time at Liverpool might not have got off to the best start but, when he finally made his debut, it looked like Liverpool might have got this one right. They ended up beating Tottenham 3-0 and Balotelli was one of Liverpool's best players. In that match, Balotelli and Sturridge started together. For Liverpool fans it looked like a new partnership was formed. The two of them dominated the match and, even though neither scored, they made Tottenham's defence look like amateurs.
It was probably Liverpool's best performance of the season and it would be the only time Sturridge and Balotelli started a match together. The rest of Sturridge's season was ravaged by injury and Balotelli's form meant he rarely made the team when Sturridge was fit. Now, looking back on those 90 minutes in the late summer sun, the match was a sign of what could have been but never was.
Swapping shirts with Pepe at half time
It was supposed to be Liverpool's crowning glory. After going so close to winning the league the season before, they were back with the big boys of European football. So when Real Madrid came to Anfield in October, it was a chance for Liverpool to show that they deserved their place at football's top table.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool got thrashed 3-0. The biggest story from the night, though, turned out to be Balotelli stripping down and swapping shirts with Pepe at half time. Rodgers wasn't happy and said the whole thing was "not something I stand for" and "something that doesn't happen here and shouldn't happen here". Balotelli had managed to piss his boss off again.
He made an anti-semetic post on Instagram
Rodgers called him out for not doing enough in training
He pissed off pretty much everyone in the match against Besiktas
View this video on YouTube
When Liverpool scraped a 1-0 home win over Besiktas in February, it was Balotelli who got the winner. The goal came just days after he scored his first Premier League goals against Spurs so it was meant to be a good time for him. It wasn't. His goal against Besiktas only came because he'd taken the ball away from Jordan Henderson (the captain that night and the designated penalty taker) and Daniel Sturridge.
Balotelli's teammates were pretty pissed off that night, and none more so than Steven Gerrard, who was working as a pundit. And, if you play for Liverpool, he's the one person you probably shouldn't piss off.
He was left out of Liverpool's pre-season squad
His birthday cake didn't have any mention of Liverpool
