Italian striker Mario Balotelli insists his former Inter Milan teammate Adriano was even better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Palermo native was only a teenager when he earned a promotion to the first team and joined Roberto Mancini’s star-studded attack.
Balotelli had the opportunity to train alongside the likes of Hernan Crespo, Julio Cruz and a host of Nerazzurri legends.
Nevertheless, the notorious forward still recognizes Adriano as his most impressive teammate at Inter.
The former Man City and AC Milan star believes the Brazilian was even stronger than the iconic Ibrahimovic.
“Adriano was one of the best centre-forwards in history, even better than Ibra,” said Balotelli while chatting with Radja Nainggolan and Emiliano Viviano on Twitch via FcInterNews.
The 34-year-old would also pick Adriano ahead of the legendary Samuel Eto’o, although he admits the latter had a more prosperous career.
“Between Adriano and Eto’o? It’s a difficult choice, I choose the first for my personal taste and the career ahead.”
While Nainggolan agreed with Balotelli on the aforementioned topic, the two had different views when it came to predicting this season’s Serie A winners.
Mario Balotelli Believes Former Inter Milan Star Adriano Was Stronger Than Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The former Belgium midfielder tipped the Nerazzurri to retain the Scudetto title. He tips Juventus to finish as runners-up with Napoli completing the podium and AC Milan in fourth place.
Viviano also backed Inter in the title race, expecting them to finish ahead of Juventus, Atalanta and Napoli.
Nevertheless, Balotelli projects Napoli’s triumph. He expects Antonio Conte’s men to finish first, with Inter right behind. He also tips Juventus for third place and Milan for fourth.