“It wasn’t so long ago that things looked rather bleak for Italy. Following a group stage exit from the 2014 World Cup, the Azzurri found themselves a team divided. In their final match of the tournament, a 1-0 loss to Uruguay under the oppressive Brazilian sun, Mario Balotelli again courted controversy. In the first half he produced a largely transparent performance from a footballing perspective, and after putting in a reckless challenge on Alvaro Pereira due to his increasing frustration, a number of observers felt that he was lucky to remain on the pitch.” Licence to Roam