Balotelli's top 5 utterly ridiculous moments of the season

1. Winning the FA Cup, then missing the parade

Balotelli showed up in the big Wembley game at Stoke (and celebrated winning by tripping up Yaya Toure and then chasing his team-mates around the pitch with an inflatable banana), but then went AWOL for the party in Manchester despite telling the world of his plans to take his dog on board the bus. Roberto Mancini gave the forward permission to fly back to his homeland for 'family reasons' but the youngster was spotted in Milan? throwing water bombs at Serie A club chiefs and TV cameras.

2. Giving a bully a lesson

Whether it was a PR stunt or not, there's something endearing about an international football superstar taking a kid to school to sort out a bullying problem. The striker apparently spotted a child playing truant outside City's training compound and took him to see his headmaster and the bully to sort out the problem. It's not his only display of humanity, for he also gave £1,000 to a homeless man after he had a big win at the casino.

3. Parking his car everywhere and racking up huge fines

The surly sensation made the headlines (again) in April when it was revealed that he has had his car impounded 27 times by Manchester police after notching up an impressive three parking tickets a day since moving to England ? making him comfortably the most inconsiderate driver in the Premier League and setting him back £10,000 in fines. That won't bother Super Mario, though, for when the police pulled him over and asked why he had £25,000 in cash on the passenger seat, he simply replied: "Because I can."

4. Throwing darts

The former Inter man could have killed someone with this prank, but his rationale behind launching arrows from his hotel room window down at a few youth team players was sound. The 20-year-old was fined two weeks' wages for this mindless act, but told the Manchester City brass that he did it because he was "bored". Fair enough then.

5. Not knowing who Jack Wilshere is

Said the striker after he was voted best young Italian: "What's his name? Wil ... ? No, I don't know him, but the next time I play against Arsenal I will keep a close eye on him. Perhaps I can show him the Golden Boy trophy and remind him that I won it."