The 26-year-old has so far gone some way to silencing his many doubters this season by contributing six goals in as many league games, helping his Nice teammates to the top of the table, three points clear of champion Paris Saint-Germain.
And while the Parisians remain favorites to lift the trophy come May, Balotelli revealed he already has plans in place should his club pull off a Leicester City-style title win.
“There’s still a long way to go, but if we do win the title, I’m going to fly a helicopter over Nice.” he told Mediaset. “I’m happy here [at Nice]. I’ve settled in very quickly in this fantastic place. There are a lot of youngsters in the team and the coach is very good and I’ve found everything favorable.”
Balotelli moved to Nice to revive a career that looked all but dead and buried after a frustrating spell in Liverpool where he found playing time hard to come by under Jurgen Klopp.
He was bought by previous manager Brendan Rodgers, and admits he never truly settled in the city.
“I know that it’s half-an-hour from Manchester, but I don’t know it very well.” said the Italian. “Nice’s support is better than Liverpool’s, which doesn’t mean that the fans are better, but that there is more warmth in their support. [Liverpool] did me a favor by selling me.”
There is already speculation linking Balotelli with a move back to Italy with the striker having only penned a one-year-deal with the French club. But Balotelli insists despite some near-misses with big Italian clubs in the past, his only focus is in the south of France.
“Before I joined Milan I was meant to go to Juventus, but then there were a few problems and the transfer didn’t go through,” he said. “[Sinisa] Mihajlovic is right that the only reason I did not explode last year was because of physical problems.
“I love Napoli and Neapolitans – my daughter lives there, but coming back to Italy is not part of my plans at the moment. I’m only thinking about Nice and France.”
