Ex Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has celebrated the sacking of his former manager, Patrick Vieira by Genoa.
Arsenal legend Vieira left the Italian club, who are bottom of Serie A and still without a win this season, on Saturday, two-and-a-half years after he departed Premier League side Crystal Palace.
Before his sacking, Balotelli was signed by Genoa under Vieira, but things quickly went south as their feud from their time at Nice was reignited in Italy.
He posted on Instagram after news of Vieira’s sacking: ‘Now Genoa can finally focus on people who truly love the atmosphere, the fans, and the crest, and who deeply believe in the idea and the fact that Genoa deserves to be at the top!
‘The great work experienced firsthand by Gilardino and Zangrillo [former manager and president] hasn’t been wasted: it was just exploited selfishly and badly by those who came after, taking advantage of what they had built with hard work, respect, and passion.
‘They exploited the immense work of Gilardino and Zangrillo, their commitment and dedication to these colors, without truly understanding its value.
‘Now let’s focus on GENOA and the GENOANS! Go Genoa! GO BOYS! I believed in you, and I still do!’
He tagged Vieira in the post, also writing in a separate post: ‘Karma is a b***h,’ and added: ‘God sees and provides.’
The former Premier League winner did not play for the club after mid-December, suffering a broken hand, before leaving at the end of the season. He is currently a free agent.
Vieira and Balotelli had a tense relationship in the past following their time together at Nice, where the former served as manager from 2018 to 2020.
Vieira has previously claimed the former Italy international was difficult to work with due to his way of life and individuality.
Speaking about Balotelli to Daily Mail Sport in 2020, he said: ‘Mario’s mindset was difficult for a collective sport. The philosophy I wanted to put in place, the togetherness and work ethic I wanted to build, it was difficult for me to work with a player like Mario.
‘It was really difficult for both of us to work together, so we decided to go different ways.’
Meanwhile, Balotelli has previously said of Vieira in an interview: ‘I lived in Villefranche, and it was crazy. I was smiling every day, I went to the sea every day. It was a dream life.
‘The problem was that the way Vieira played didn’t really suit me. I got along well with him, but on sporting matters, I didn’t agree. If I hadn’t had these problems with him, I would never have left Nice.’
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