No matter where he goes, or what he does, Mario Balotelli will attract attention… and now always the good kind! The Italian is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, with his public persona and playing style extremely divisive.

So last night when he snatched the ball off Jordan Henderson and quarrelled with Daniel Sturridge over a late penalty kick against Besiktas, the world was poised to round on Mario. But, he scored and Liverpool won 1-0. That should be the end of it, right?

Wrong. Steven Gerrard – the Reds’ usual penalty dispatcher and captain – was partaking in a bit of punditry for ITV due to being out of action through injury and claimed that his team-mate had ‘disrespected’ Henderson, who was the designated player for the task.

But with Balotelli possessing a great record from the spot – he’s missed just a couple from nearly 30 efforts at the age of 24 – should there have even been a debate? It seems that many fans think that, with Gerrard the subject of some questioning on Twitter…

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