We are awaiting the official press release from Genoa but the choice for the bench has fallen on Patrick Vieira: the Frenchman, 48 years old, former midfielder in Italy for Milan, Juve and Inter, so far in his career he has coached the youth teams of Manchester City (the last club where he played), then New York City, Nice (with Balotelli in team), Crystal Palace and Strasbourg.
He will find Mario Balotelli under his command, with whom there was no shortage of moments of tension. And it’s a story that’s been going on for practically a decade. The lack of chemistry dates back to the 2010/11 season, Vieira’s last as a footballer, who had the opportunity to share the Manchester City dressing room with the Italian striker, observing his over-the-top episodes firsthand. And this perhaps also had an impact on the subsequent cohabitation between the two, in Nice.
There is no shortage of incriminated episodes during the period on the French Riviera. Vieira led the Rossoneri of France from the summer of 2018 until the first part of the 2020/21 season, being sacked in December. An experience of over two years in which he once again crossed paths with Balotelli (in the team from 2016 to 2019). It also effectively marked the end, due to more than one moment of misunderstanding. In December 2018, tension exploded during a Ligue 1 match against Guingamp: Vieira replaced Balotelli, who publicly took it out on him. An argument ensued, complete with a harsh statement from the coach in the post-match press conference, in which he even went so far as to say that “his mentality is not suited to a collective sport like football”. A few weeks later Balotelli would have left Nice, now he will have to meet again that Vieira who played a leading actor role. And he also mentioned a few months ago in an interview: “I would never have left Nice if it hadn’t been for him.” The premises lead to doubts about cohabitation.