Mario Balotelli responded furiously to a streamer who questioned his ability, vowing to "smash" Serie A should he return to Italy.

Balotelli took part in a stream on Twitch alongside former footballers Emiliano Viviano, Radja Nainggolan and streamer Enerix, who claimed he would pick Venezia‘s Joel Pohjanpalo over the former Manchester City star.

The comment provoked a strong reaction from Balotelli, particularly when it was put to him that his last few teams had played outside Serie A.

Balotelli is a free agent after leaving Turkish side Adana Demirspor earlier this year, having seen a move to Brazilian side Corinthians break down over the summer.

The 34-year-old last played in Serie A during the 2019-20 season, scoring five times in 19 appearances for Brescia.

“What the f*ck are you saying?” Balotelli replied after it was pointed out his recent successes came outside of Serie A, via Football Italia. “Just because I wasn’t in Serie A, what I did doesn’t count? F*ck off, you and Serie A!

“It’s a promise, I’ll smash Serie A when I sign [for a club], I smash this f*cking Serie A.”

Balotelli's outburst came in light of links of a return to Serie A with Genoa, while Torino are also believed to be considering a move for the veteran, indicating he could have a chance to prove his critics wrong if a return to Italy is agreed.