Ocho Finally Meets His SOCCER TWIN: Mario Balotelli

In this episode of The Late Run, Premier League and Champions League winner Mario Balotelli joins Ocho and Raheem. From the opening bow, it's clear these two are cut from the same cloth: two of the most unapologetic showmen their sports have ever produced, in one room. Chad doesn't call himself "Balotelli Jr." for nothing. Mario gets into why the Italy national team has fallen so far and how he'd fix it, the rough Liverpool year that left him low in England, the racism he faced in Serie A and why he calls it ignorance, the Mourinho red-card story, his Barcelona trial at 15, and what really happened on that LA Galaxy backheel. Plus his verdict on the Messi–Ronaldo debate ("Messi is not normal"), the one player he rates above him, life after football, and the launch of his new "Why Always Me?" project. Ocho and the crew also break down the USMNT's World Cup run on Oo's Props. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:47 - What's wrong with Italy's National Team 08:13 - The Liverpool Year & Nice 12:59 - Best Coaches & Mourinho 15:48 - Ocho's Props: USMNT World Cup 21:39 - Big Personalities & Racism 29:26 - Ronaldo, Messi & Maradona 34:17 - Life after football 37:12 - "Why Always Me" SUPPORT THE SHOW: Grab your FREE House of Goal tickets here and celebrate the World Cup with us at New York’s largest soccer culture festival: http://www.goal.com/houseofgoal Start using Codex for free at http://chatgpt.com/codex New DraftKings customers, bet $5 and get $100 in bonus bets instantly. The Crown Is Yours! Sign up using http://dkng.co/thelaterun or through my promo code THELATERUN. #dkpartner GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, 800-327-5050/visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 800-981-0023 (PR). Wagering offered by DK Sportsbook: 21+. Present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/PR/WY). Void in ONT. On behalf of Boothill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. Event Trading offered by DraftKings Predictions, CFTC-registered: 18+. Trading involves risk of loss. Market availability varies. Predictions offer void in NY. General: 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ deposit req. Trade $5, get $200 Prediction Dollars (1-year expiry) issued as $50 increments every 7 days via click-to-claim for 21 days; or bet $5, get $200 Bonus Bets instantly (7-day expiry and stake removed from payout). 7 days = 168hrs. Rewards are non-withdrawable. Terms: dkng.co/offer. Ends 6/28/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.