Balotelli joins Berlusconi's Monza in Serie B

Mario Balotelli is back.

The 30-year-old, who's been without a team since his contract with Brescia was terminated in June, has joined Serie B side Monza on a short-term deal, the club announced Monday.

Balotelli was previously linked with Brazilian club Vasco Da Gama and Championship outfit Barnsley. In November, he made headlines when he began training with Franciacorta, a fourth-division Italian team.

Owned by former AC Milan benefactor Silvio Berlusconi, Monza are making a push for promotion to Serie A, having already signed former Barcelona and Milan playmaker Kevin-Prince Boateng in the summer. The club is coached by former Milan midfielder Cristian Brocchi and run by the Rossoneri's ex-transfer guru and chief executive, Adriano Galliani.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Balotelli, who played with Boateng at Milan and scored 30 goals in 54 appearances with the Rossoneri.

Berlusconi and Galliani brought Balotelli to Milan in January 2013 and again signed him on loan during the 2015-16 season.

While Balotelli enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Galliani, he didn't necessarily see eye to eye with Berlusconi, who once called the Italian striker a "bad apple" and criticized his playing style. In 2013, Berlusconi's brother referred to Balotelli as a "little Negro" and a "hothead" in a video that went viral.

Balotelli began his career at Inter Milan before joining Roberto Mancini at Manchester City in 2010. He helped the Citizens win their first-ever Premier League title in 2012, assisting Sergio Aguero's famous winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season. After moving to Milan in 2013, he returned to England with Liverpool but struggled for form, scoring just once in the Premier League. A loan move back to Milan in 2015 did little to revive his career.

He then flew to Nice in 2016 and enjoyed a renaissance in the French Riviera, scoring a single-season career-high 18 goals during the 2017-18 campaign. After showing up late to training and falling out with manager Patrick Vieira, Balotelli joined French rivals Marseille in 2019. He left OM after just six months.

A similar scenario played out at Brescia. Though it began as a sentimental reunion - Balotelli grew up in Brescia and his adoptive father was a Brescia fan - a dispute with club president Massimo Cellino led to yet another early exit.

He last appeared for the Italian national team in September 2018.