Mario Balotelli faces a hefty bill to repair his rented home that was damaged last month in a fireworks incident. The owner of the £3 million ($4.8 million) mansion wants the Manchester City star to pay for the repairs, according to the Daily Mail.
“Manchester City’s eccentric striker has had a rocket from his landlord,” the report says, “who wants Balotelli to pay himself for the damages rather than go through insurance. Balotelli’s four-bedroom house suffered smoke damage and the bathroom was gutted in the fire, caused by a friend letting off the firework.”
Balotelli claims a friend of his brother tried to launch a firework out of a bathroom window, but it all went wrong. The 21-year-old could be hit with a £400,000 ($644,000) bill to cover the damage.
The incident took place the day before the Oct. 23, Manchester derby that saw City beat United 6-2 at Old Trafford. The Italian striker scored twice and propelled his team to the top of the English Premier League.
After an indifferent first season in English soccer, Balotelli has been a top performer this year. He’s bagged seven goals in 10 games for City and scored his first goal for Italy’s national team in Friday’s 2-0 win over Poland.
