Thursday, 31st January, 2013
Mario Balotelli has spoken of his delight at joining AC Milan from Manchester City.
The Rossoneri have paid a basic €20M, plus a further €3M to come in add-ons, for the Italy international striker.
Balotelli has always had genuine affection for Milan, even when he turned out for the club’s fierce rivals Inter, the side he left to join Manchester City in 2010.
And now the 22-year-old finally has the chance to pull on a Milan shirt.
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"I have wanted to play for Milan for a long time", Balotelli told Milan TV.
"Of course I played for other teams and I could not come, but when this chance came, I ran."
Milan’s signing of Balotelli is a big boost for the Rossoneri faithful, who saw their two best players in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva depart for Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
Balotelli has penned a contract running until 2017 with Milan, but has been forced to take the number 45 shirt, with number 9 already having been allocated for the season, despite the departure of its holder, Alexandre Pato.
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