Mario Balotelli Hopes for a Swift Recovery

Milan’s striker, Mario Balotelli, is scheduled for a groin operation today. Balotelli plays for AC Milan on loan from Liverpool. However, the ongoing injury has prevented him from playing for the Rossoneri as of late. The 25-year old striker has not appeared on the field since September, 2015.

The medical staff of the two teams decided, it would be best for the player to stay off the field and visit medical professionals from Germany and Denmark for consultation. Last week, he had an appointment with leading Danish specialist, Professor Per Holmich. Yesterday, Balotelli flew over to Munich for his final consultation. In an official statement on their website, Milan announced conservative treatment has not helped Balotelli so far, and surgery was his only chance of completely recovering from his injury.

The surgery will be performed today by Professor Ulrike Muschaweck. Muschaweck is a respected and experienced medical professional and this is not the first operation, he has performed on injured football players. The doctor has operated on then-Bayern players Xabi Alonso and his team mate Javi Martinez, prior to their transfers to Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Balotelli’s parent club, Liverpool, gave consent for the operation, while Milan, where he was expected to play for the rest of the season, announced the time frame, necessary for the striker’s recovery. Though necessary, the operation will prevent Balotelli from appearing on the field till the end of the year.

Milan’s loanee, however, does not hide his anticipation to go back in action. Balotelli is even hoping for an earlier return. The striker posted a picture on his Instagram account, announcing he would be back on the field, earlier than it was expected. His post read “I’ll be back in my stadium to play, earlier than what you think!”. Balotelli also seized the opportunity to express his gratitude for his fans’ support.

The player’s anticipation can be easily explained by his two-months absence. This season, the striker has joined the Rossoneri only four times, scoring one goal. While he, himself, is rather optimistic for his swift recovery, his doctors are sceptic, he would manage to return as soon as he hopes to. His recovery is expected to take between six weeks and three months. The Italian player’s hopes may end up being in vain – if he doesn’t make it till January, Balotelli will not be able to join Milan for the European Championship, next summer.