"I spent about a month in Barcelona." - Mario Balotelli reveals how he almost joined Barcelona

It all came down to money.

Details: The 35-year-old Italian striker Mario Balotelli shared a story from the time he was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged Barcelona player, but the deal fell through because the Blaugrana were unwilling to meet the financial demands:

"When I was 15, Barcelona reached out to me. I spent about a month there in Barcelona, but my club at the time asked for too much money.

I was just 15, and they weren't interested in spending that much on a young player. In the end, I signed with Inter.

During that month, I played alongside the likes of Bojan, Dos Santos, and Thiago Alcântara, but I never saw any of the first-team players. No, I didn't see them." Balotelli admitted.

Throughout his career, Balotelli has played for clubs such as Inter, Manchester City, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor, Sion, and Genoa.

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Mario's last club was the Italian side Genoa, with his contract expiring this summer, making Balotelli a free agent.

Over the course of his career, Mario has made 501 appearances, scoring 210 goals and providing 42 assists.

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