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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/TheBiasedSportsLover on 2023-11-15 18:18:19.
Original Title: [TVPlay] Kevin-Prince Boateng: “I love Mario Balotelli, I think he could’ve won 3 Ballon d’Ors. Rafael Leao is very good, but he was on another level. Balotelli was a top 5 striker itw when he was in shape. […] Is Roberto De Zerbi a better coach than Pep Guardiola? I would say yes”
The full quotes from KPB’s interview with TVPlay
On Mario Balotelli
I love Balotelli, I think he could’ve won 3 Ballon d’Ors. However, he needed someone like me around to point him in the right direction every day.
Rafael Leao is very good, but Balotelli was on another level, he was phenomenal. I played with him & saw what he could do when he knuckled down & took it seriously. We all know what he was capable of, not everyone can keep it going at a high level, but when he was in shape, he was one of the five best strikers in the world. The only one who came close to the quality of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was Balotelli.
On Roberto De Zerbi (KPB’s ex-coach at Sassuolo)
If I had De Zerbi 10-12 years ago, football would’ve been different. I think he will be the best coach of the next 20-30 years. He has been able to improve every single player he worked with, from the understudy goalkeeper to the striker.
I worked with him when I was 32 years old and I felt stronger than I’ve ever been. De Zerbi makes you feel really involved, he knew how to coddle me when I needed it, to motivate me when I needed that. He really looks after the human rapport aspect of management and that is fundamental.
Is De Zerbi better than Guardiola? I say yes.