The list was simple: an iron and an ironing board. Nothing out of the ordinary. But Mario Balotelli never did anything the way he was asked.
The Italian striker, then a Manchester City star, went shopping with a group of friends and returned home without a single item from the list.
Instead, he came back with a giant trampoline, a racing set, two Vespas, and a ping-pong table. His mother, who was in England keeping a close eye on her son, could not believe it.
The episode came to light thanks to a family insider who shared it on Twitter, and it ended up being just another chapter in his crazy spell in England.
Balotelli, true to his style, responded the following Sunday in the only way he knew how to silence the criticism: by scoring a goal in the derby against Manchester United.