By Chris Wright
Mario Balotelli, eh? An enigma shrouded in mystery then varnished with a thin coat of cryptic perplexity is what he is – sometimes he’ll throw darts at you and sometimes he’ll give you a hefty cut of his casino winnings.
According to The Sun, this week’s bizarre Balotelli story sees our compelling protagonist winning £25,000 during a trip to Manchester’s 235 Casino with Blackburn skipper Chris Samba (who knew?) last week, only to hand £1,000 of his windfall to a ginger-dreadlocked tramp that he passed on the way home.
An anonymous source told the red top:
“Mario is really generous. He always hands £20 notes to the Big Issue boys without even taking the magazine. There’s a guy he always sees around town with ginger dreadlocks and a beard. He carries his possessions in two carrier bags.
“He was outside the club in the early hours so Mario handed him a wad of notes after his big win. The tramp couldn’t believe his luck. It was enough to keep him going for months.”
Next week: Super Mario adopts three adult cheetahs then sets them loose around Manchester city centre, before headbutting Rio Ferdinand’s car until it explodes in the Old Trafford car park.