Mario Balotelli Does Thing

Via Football Italia, AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has commissioned a life-sized statue of himself. He'll be flexing, his famous pose after scoring for Italy in the Euro semifinals. Says the sculptor:

"I imagined him as an athlete from ancient times. The statue will be between the classic and pop style, in platinum and coloured bronze with the eyes made of precious stones."

But forget that. I want to draw your attention to this lede from an Italian paper, run through Google translate:

Like the dandy in New York and Boston, which demanded from John Singer Sargent portraits en plein air in order to certify their membership in the jet-society, like Paul or Napoleon III, portrayed by the premier painter Jacques-Louis David and crossed the St. Bernard, as well Mario Balotelli claimed his portrait.

We are light-years behind Italian sportswriting.

In other Mario Balotelli Does Thing news, Balotelli was racially abused by Inter Milan fans during Sunday's match. He responded by shaking his penis at them. Everybody was fined.