According to the Italian national coach, it is not an expression of desperation that Mario Balotelli has made a comeback in the national team squad.

Mario Balotelli has once again found his way to the world newspaper columns - this time for good. 31-year-old Balotelli is back on the Italian national team after more than three years of absence. He played his last international match in the Nations League in September 2018, where he got 62 minutes on the field when Italy played a draw against Poland. Evil tongues therefore say that the Adana Demirspor striker has agreed to one - or maybe two - cancellations.

Torino striker Andrea Belotti is injured and Lazio striker Ciro Immobile has not exactly been convincing for "Gli Azzurri". Therefore, it now looks like Balotelli will get the chance again. The Italian national coach, Roberto Mancini, also gets shot in the shoe that he is desperate, but that does not seem to be the case, even though desperation is a recipe for success for the Italians.

- If it was desperation we needed before the European Championship finals, then it worked for us, says Roberto Mancini according to Football Italia.

- Maybe we're doing our best when we're a little bit desperate, but having said that, I do not think this is a desperate situation.

- Balotelli has always had a great technique. It's about looking at his physical shape. We have lost focus on him lately, so it may help to see him up close for a few days.

- We are curious to see how he copes after that period. The best way to see it is on the training ground.

- He does not have to promise us anything. We do not need him to promise us anything. I think he is happy to be here and we will evaluate him on an equal footing with everyone else - it is no more.

Mario Balotelli made his national team debut in August 2010, and since then he has played 36 international matches and scored 14 goals. He played a role in Italy qualifying for the European Championship finals in 2012, where he was given playing time in all matches. After that, he made - due to injuries - only a small contribution to Italy's World Cup qualification, before he was given playing time in all matches of the World Cup group stage, before Italy was knocked out after a victory and two defeats.

This was followed by a break of almost four years before Balotelli could once again pull the azure jersey over his head. He made a comeback in two friendly matches before playing his preliminary international match in September 2018. Now, however, he can get the chance again when Italy goes up against northern Macedonia. After this, either Portugal or Turkey in Italy's match await for a place at the World Cup finals in Qatar