Mateo Retegui
's debut with a goal
in the Italian team left Roberto Mancini and many supporters of the
Azzurra
satisfied , despite the 2-1 defeat against England in Naples for qualifying for the Euro Cup in Germany 2024. However,
no everyone welcomed the call of the Tigre striker.
Among them, an attacker with a good run in the national team of that country:
Mario Balotelli
.
The 32-year-old footballer who plays for Swiss Sion did not directly criticize Retegui,
but was dissatisfied with Mancini's decision
to use a footballer who was born in Argentina and never played in Serie A to the detriment of other born attackers or trained in Italy.
"The strikers in Italy are still there and they are in shape, believe me
," Balotelli wrote in a story he posted on his Instagram account on Saturday.
And, in a philosophical tone, he charged against Mancini, who made him debut in the First Inter and also directed him at Manchester City:
"Regretting is the feeling of those who periodically do not learn their lesson and arrive when everything is over or they have left Or they simply will never arrive
.
Roberto Mancini directed Mario Balotelli in the Italian national team, at Inter and at Manchester City.
Photo: Alessandro Di Marco / EFE / EPA.
In this way, the footballer who played 36 games and scored 14 goals with the
Azzurra
between 2010 and 2018 echoed Mancini's statements, who this week justified
the call-up due to the absences due to injuries to some of his forwards
(Ciro Immobile and Giacomo Raspadori) and the little activity in his clubs of others (Gianluca Scamacca, Andrea Belotti).
“In defense and in midfield the solutions are there.
It is in attack where we have problems, but not because there is no talent.
(The forwards) have to play and they are not playing," the coach said on Monday.
And he explained the reasons for choosing Retegui:
“I called him because we lack players who score goals.
The boy has been playing as a starter for two years in Argentina and he has the quality that we lack”
.
The call of the attacker born in San Fernando and who will turn 24 on April 29 once again evidenced the change
of Mancini's position, who a few years ago assured that only footballers born in Italy should represent the
Azzurra
.
“
The world has changed and all the teams have nationalized players or from other countries.
We have had players who have reached the national team and then others have taken them because they had double passports.
We have to do the same.
There are no players in Italy, it is useless to deny it.
We have very few strikers
”, He justified on Monday.
Retegui, whose future after June seems to be in European football, will be able to have his second experience with the Italian team
this Sunday
, when Mancini's team visits Malta at the Ta'Qali National Stadium for the second date of group C in qualifying for the next Euro.
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