Mario Balotelli named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world

Mario Balotelli has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2013. The list has previous included the likes of Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba, but 22-year-old Balotelli is the only footballer to be named this year and one of four athletes along with LeBron James, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and tennis player Li Na.

Chelsea legend and Watford manager Gianfranco Zola, who coached Balotelli for a bit of his time with Italy's U-21 team, wrote the blurb that accompanied Mario's inclusion in the "icons" section of the list. Zola says:

The combination of Balotelli's developing brilliance on the pitch mixed with his innate ability to produce captivatingly odd moments (be it with a bib or fireworks in his bathroom) and the many strange myths dreamed up by the press have definitely made him one of the world's most scrutinized footballers. He's also been forced into the center of the fight for racial equality and subjected to vile abuse within the game since he was teenager. But to call him one of the most influential people in the world seems a bit speculative. Though there probably hasn't been a run on camouflage Bentleys since Balotelli started driving his, he does have a firm hold on the footballing world's attention. And as Zola alludes, it will be Balotelli's focus and control that determines what he does with it.

One person who isn't surprised about Balotelli's inclusion in the list is his eccentric agent, Mino Raiola. From Football Italia:

Balotelli will attend a presentation ceremony in New York on April 22. He previously appeared in Time Magazine for a cover story last year.