Super Mario on the move: Balotelli signs with rock-bottom team of UAE second tier
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Reading Time: 1min | Mon. 12.01.26. | 23:55
Al-Ittifaq, the club founded in 2020, became the Italian's 13th different career team
Even though he is 35 and he spent the previous six months as a free agent, Mario Balotelli still isn't ready to hang up his boots. Instead, he surprised everyone with an unexpected move, joining the bottom-placed side of the Emirati Division 1 (second flight), Al-Ittifaq!
🚨🇦🇪 Mario Balotelli has arrived in Dubai as he joined Al Ittifaq in UAE with deal signed this weekend.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 11, 2026
Agreement sealed after deal managed by Epic Sports Italy. pic.twitter.com/fC7AAJ207U
The former Italian international confirmed the deal on his Instagram account with a video and a three-word message: "I'm here."
The Dubai-based side, founded six years ago, has won just two out of the 12 league games they have played, finding the net only eight times, so Balotelli's primary task is crystal clear - scoring goals.
At the same time, he is supposed to help his new team avoid relegation, though their survival battle will be as challenging as it gets. Given that he is now by far the most renowned name in the league, his arrival will definitely boost its popularity.
Al-Ittifaq became the striker's 13th different career club, after Lumezzane, Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Olympique Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor, Sion, and Genoa, while the UAE became the sixth country he's played in, alongside Italy, England, France, Turkey, and Switzerland.
