Controversial striker Mario Balotelli was involved in a car crash at 5am while returning home from New Year’s celebrations at a nightclub in the Italian city of Brescia.

According to Corriere della Sera, Balotelli’s new Fiat 500 Abarth ended up smashing into a gate of a bakery not far from his home after his friend, who was driving, made a wrong manoeuvre and clipped the kerb.Balotelli, 29, and his friend both emerged from the accident unscathed but the car suffered severe damage to its front axle.

The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker, who now plays for his hometown club of Brescia, was returning home from celebrating the start of the New Year with friends in a city nightclub at the time of the crash.

Balotelli left the car on the street and walked the few hundred yards back to his home in Mompiano.A tow truck later came to remove the car, which is expected to be written off. Brescia president Massimo Cellino, meanwhile, has insisted that Balotelli will not be sold in January.Balotelli, who has scored four times in 12 games for his boyhood club this season, has attracted interest from several clubs in Turkey. (The Guardian)