Mario Balotelli posted a picture of himself with a thermometer on his Instagram account to try to prove to his critics that he was too ill to play in Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final replay at Blackburn Rovers.
Robbie Savage was among those to question the Italian striker’s absence for the Ewood Park game, which Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Philippe Coutinho’s winner.
Balotelli responded in typically idiosyncratic fashion, taking to social media to post a picture of himself holding a thermometer with a reading of 38.7C. A normal temperature is considered to be 37C.
Balotelli wrote: “@phil.coutinho magic boy! Grande! Nothing stop me to watch my team winning. (at least this time you know the real reason why I am out). MISS THE PICTH SO MUCH.”
Earlier the BT Sport pundit Savage tore into the £16m forward after Brendan Rodgers revealed Balotelli had travelled to Ewood Park but would not be in the squad after waking up feeling unwell.
Savage, a former Blackburn player, said: “Pathetic isn’t it? You’re going to miss an FA Cup quarter-final? “I don’t know how unwell he is, but to miss an FA Cup quarter-final when you’re feeling a bit ill? Nonsense. I would have to be really, really ill to miss that game.”
Balotelli also withdrew from the Liverpool squad which got thrashed at Arsenal on Saturday, after suffering a ‘slight knock’ in training.
