[MikePatton]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Just to offset it a little bit here is a rather sweet article about him and his mother (who you may have seen hugging after the Germany game).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...imple-hug.html

It is indeed very hard to root against Balotelli, at least in this tournament. I was reading an article about the racism he's had to endure and about how he wasn't able to become an Italian citizen until he was 18 (because legally you can't be an Italian citizen if your parents are immigrants until the age of consent). His play means a lot for children growing up in Italy that can't call themselves Italian because they are second generation immigrants... and consequently it means a lot for Italy.

What a great, great story he is. I want him to score the euro-winning goal. It would be the perfect ending.