Mario Balotelli pretends to SMOKE after a lighter is thrown on the pitch as the former Man City star produces another iconic goal celebration
- The Italian striker pretended to smoke after his goal against Fenerbahce
- Mario Balotelli picked up a lighter that had been thrown onto the pitch
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Mario Balotelli was back to his comedy best during Adana Demirspor’s defeat to Fenerbahce on Wednesday after pretending to smoke when a lighter was thrown onto the pitch.
The Italian has made a name for himself as one of modern football’s biggest characters with his various antics over the years and seems to be enjoying life in Turkey’s top flight.
Balotelli’s career, which once saw him win the Premier League title with Manchester City and later join Liverpool, has been largely derailed in recent years but is now rediscovering its previous form.
Demirspor fans have witnessed his abilities first-hand, with the 33-year-old scoring seven goals in 11 Super Lig appearances this season, with his latest appearance coming against Fenerbahce earlier this week.
After scoring in the 25th minute, Balotelli celebrated by pretending to smoke after picking up a lighter thrown at him by frustrated fans in the crowd.
Mario Balotelli pretended to smoke after a lighter was thrown onto the pitch during Adana Demirspor’s recent defeat to Fenerbahce
Balotelli has shown glimpses of his previous best form this season when playing in Turkey
A smiling Balotelli takes the lighter and puffs on an imaginary cigarette before throwing the flammable object back to the side of the pitch.
It was another iconic celebration in a growing catalog that also featured Balotelli’s famous moment when he performed a ‘Why always me?’ revealed. t-shirt after scoring against Man United in the Manchester derby.
Sadly, his celebration on this occasion was short-lived as the hosts responded through Balotelli’s former Man City teammate Edin Dzeko before scoring twice more in the 4-2 win.
It was another iconic celebration from the Italian who previously produced this famous moment for Man City
Despite pretending to smoke after scoring, Balotelli was previously seen with a real cigarette in his mouth during a previous visit to Florida.
When he was 23 and playing for AC Milan, he was pictured lighting up on a hotel balcony while walking around topless.
Balotelli appears to have previously struggled to kick the habit after he was also fined by Milan for trying to smoke on the train and after former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini told him to give up.
It appears he has now quit smoking and is back scoring goals after recovering from knee surgery earlier this season.