Gianluigi Buffon has praised the performances of Mario Balotelli in the European Championships.

The Manchester City striker has been under pressure in Italy to perform and finally live up to his reputation on the international front, something the Italian goalkeeping legend believes Balotelli has achieved in the past three weeks:

“Mario has done very well thus far, and he has great natural talent and that is a fantastic starting point for him.

“But he's also come into a squad where there are a lot of star players, not only on the footballing side but in general. Mario deserves the most credit because he's really worked hard and wanted to succeed.” (Daily Mail)

Buffon has also praised the attitude of the Italian team, in light of the match fixing scandal that rocked Italy in the weeks prior to the tournament:

“There is something unique in the Italian mentality.”

“Beyond everything that has been said, and the rumours, Italians have a lot of respect and love for the national squad which goes above and beyond anything else.”

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