Balotelli cleaning up his act

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has admitted that he is working harder in training than he did this time last year, and feels that he is more mature.

The temperamental attacker is famed for his indiscipline away from the game, with his latest indiscretion a visit to a strip club in Liverpool, in which he broke the club’s curfew and was fined £250,000.

Despite this, Balotelli feels that his attitude has improved.

“This year I have already scored 14 goals and a pair of penalties, and the intensity and effort I put into training this year, are not comparable to last season,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, translated to English by Sky Sports.

“I have grown up, I have understood certain things.”

Balotelli’s wild antics forced Italy coach Cesare Prandelli to leave him out of his squad for the international friendly against United States last week, but the City forward feels he ready for Euro 2012.

“The exclusion from the national team? I was very disappointed,” he continued.

“I often say in the locker room: Barcelona? Real Madrid? For me the most fascinating shirt is that of my national team, for the feeling that I want to represent Italy.

“I’m sorry to have lost a friendly match in Genoa (against USA). There is a code of ethics and I accept it, although I don’t think I deserved it, I had done nothing wrong.

“But to dissolve the misunderstanding, I sent an SMS [text] to Prandelli. I assured him that I feel calm and I’m training well. Then I said thank you once again, because he always had confidence in me,” he concluded.