Mario Balotelli melts hearts on his scoring return to Naples with Brescia | Nicky Bandini

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The striker stole the show with his daughter at Napoli, creating happier memories than when he wept for her in 2014

Mario Balotelli scored his first goal for his hometown club on Sunday, not that he needed it to make headlines. He had stolen the show as soon as he emerged from the tunnel at the Stadio San Paolo, carrying his six-year-old daughter, Pia. She stayed with him all through the pre-game handshakes before Brescia’s match against Napoli, then went to join her mother, Raffaella Fico, in the stands.

The tenderness of their interactions would have melted hearts under any circumstances. But there was a layer of history here as well. In 2014, Balotelli wept for Pia in the away dugout at this same stadium, overwhelmed by emotions in the week when his paternity was confirmed by a DNA test.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/30/mario-balotelli-melts-hearts-scoring-return-naples-brescia

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