Hart: No point winding Mario up

Joe Hart today today insisted there was little point trying to wind up Mario Balotelli in England’s European Championship clash with Italy.

Goalkeeper Hart suggested Manchester City team-mate Balotelli was more likely to lose the plot as a result of off-field issues than any opposition mind games.

Much has been made in the build-up to Sunday’s quarter-final about England’s three City stars knowing which buttons to press to ensure Italy striker Balotelli does not wreck their Euro 2012 dream.

But Hart said: “I don’t think it’s particularly on-field people who push his buttons.

“If anything were to happen, it’s usually the situations around it.”

And there are certainly plenty of potential “situations” when it comes to Balotelli, who has become one of the most talked about and written about players in the game.

The 21-year-old has found himself on the front pages of newspapers as often as the back, both in England and his native Italy, and it has become increasingly difficult to determine where the truth ends and the legend begins.

“He’s quite an extravagant guy,” Hart said.

“I think Mario accepts, with the way he is, that sometimes he’s going to bring attention to himself.

“But he has got broad shoulders and whatever’s written about him will not affect him and I know that, I know that personally.

“People can keep writing. He wasn’t bothered that things were made up about him because he lets things just kind of slide off.”

Hart added: “He is what he is, Mario.

“I think you just come to love the guy because of what he is.

“There’s no acting with him. He just does as he does. And when he’s on form football-wise, he’s a great player.”

Sunday’s match has been billed by the Italian media as the battle of the bad boys, with Balotelli squaring off against England star Wayne Rooney.

Hart said: “A lot gets made of their off-the-field activities.

“But I think if the media took an interest in any one of our lives like they did theirs then they’d find interesting things about anyone.

“They just happen to be the people that people pick on.

“Wayne’s a fantastic footballer and, obviously, I’ve worked closely with Mario and I think he’s an exceptional footballer, too.

“It will be good for everyone to watch those two players doing their thing on Sunday.”

However, while Rooney looks certain to start for England, Balotelli’s role is unclear after he was dropped for Italy’s final Group C game against Republic of Ireland, only to come off the bench and score a typically impudent goal.

Hart said: “He could be a great threat. He’s a great player but, as well as me knowing him, more importantly Joleon [Lescott] knows him, who he’ll probably come up against if he plays.

“I’ve seen them battle out in training many times.

“I’ve never actually played against the guy but it’ll be a lot of fun and it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table.”

And Hart warned Balotelli he would not be scared to go toe-to-toe with the striker.

“We don’t fear anyone,” he said.

“We’ve not come here to fear anyone or be inferior.

“We are a good team and we’re here to do well.”